The Leader Gave Me Hope: The First Book of the Freeformers Series
by Scorpia3657
Summary: The world of ninjas and mutants is about to receive another player in its game of allies and enemies beneath the streets of New York. And in the midst of it all, Leonardo and his new friend must maneuver their own haphazard lives and decide whether their friendship is truly worth the risk.
1. Dreaming

The city lights glinted off the bay, making the ocean glow with the brightness of New York City. The sky was only just beginning to lighten, but the sun was far from rising.

Faline stared out over the bustling expanse that was her hometown, still restless even at 5:30 in the morning. Her sky blue eyes, the same color as the harbor in the dim light, scanned the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, just a few blocks from the rooftop she stood on now. She wondered, not for the first time, what was beyond the horizon, just a plane's ride over, just a hop, skip, and a jump away.

Of course, she'd probably never find out. Not with everything in her life keeping her pinned to this hell she somehow called her life, unable to explore.

She sighed, blowing the air out of her lungs slowly, clenching the silver chain in her fist tighter. The amulet dangling on the end seemed to gleam with the slightest movement, the kanji engraved on its smooth silver surface:

豹

Carefully, Faline untwirled the necklace from around her fingers, slipping the simple jewelry over her head, the pendant bouncing slightly against the stiff fabric of her high collared blouse as it came to rest on her chest. She straightened her name tag habitually, fingertips tracing the engraved F-A-L-I-N-E.

A voice, harsh and coarse from years of substance abuse, barked, "Faline! You wanna lose your job? Get in here, before you're late!"

Her breath hitched, both out of fear and yearning to just run, away from Connor, away from this apartment, away from her beloved hometown. She felt a tug at her heart as she walked toward the door that would lead downstairs, a longing to see the world, to explore everything that this world had to offer her.

She glanced out the doorway, at the lights reflecting off the bay, remembering when her mother had taken her to the docks, and told her about the boat she was hoping to save up for. The door was swinging closed now, cutting her revisiting of her memories short, and all she could think about was her mother's voice, as hopeful as her heart felt, looking over the ocean with her, promising to see the world with her.

And the door shut. The lights that glinted off the harbor were snuffed out by slowly-rotting wood attached to a rusty knob. And Faline closed her eyes, taking another cleansing breath as she stepped lightly down the stairs, pushing her natural platinum bangs away from her eyes and keeping her blue orbs downcast when she saw Connor.

"Quit daydreaming," her older brother snapped, grabbing her roughly by the arm. "You've got work to do."

Faline tried not to wince as he tightened his grip on her already-bruised bicep. Connor practically dragged her to their shared apartment, throwing the door open. Faline wrinkled her nose as a series of scents greeted her - unwashed clothes, rotting food on dirty plates, the smoke wafting from the weed Connor had just undoubtedly smoked. He coughed while he snatched her backpack and a random coat off the rickety coat hanger, throwing both back at her.

"Get going," he spat, "and don't be late to the diner. I don't want you coming home jobless."

He slammed the door, making Faline flinch. She closed her eyes to reign in the feelings of hatred and fury that bubbled to the surface for a split second, her hands subtly shaking in after-shock. Then she shouldered her bag and strode toward the stairs.

Walking out into the crisp early morning, she was greeted by the muddled conversations of passersby, and engines roaring as cars zoomed by. Faline allowed the hostile thoughts to fade into the crevices of her mind, promising herself not to revisit them until after work and school. For the first time, she actually observed her jacket, which turned out to be an over-sized black sweatshirt. She shrugged, not all that picky when it came to what kept her warm, pausing to sweep the hoodie over her head and then merging back into the small crowd of early-risers, repositioning bobby pins to keep her ridiculously straight her in its neat bun.

Faline's feet worked on autopilot, directing her along the same route she'd taken for two years while she got ready on the go. Checking her backpack, she found her calculator and English notebook missing. No big deal, just remain oblivious during class and relearn the entire lesson tonight. After work. At one in the morning.

Her heart sank a bit when she realized there was no lunch either - not a surprise, but she was getting tired of living off the water and bag of chips she'd been able to buy with the tips she'd scrounged up from the diner. She zipped up the bag, slinging it over her shoulder and letting the concern of good food slip into the pile of other things she wouldn't let herself think about.

The blonde walked into the diner, smiling for the first time since her day started when she spotted the man at the counter.

"Hey Harvey," she greeted, hopping over the counter and grabbing the spare apron off the hook near the register.

"Derrickson," her employer greeted in his usual gruff tone, pointing with his chin in the direction of the kitchen. "I'm guessin' you didn't have breakfast again, right?"

"You don't need to keep giving me-"

"I won't have my waitress starving to death. Eggs and bacon are on the stove," he interrupted, waving her away and continuing to wipe down the counter as the first customer walked in.

The remnant of a grin on her lips, she pushed through the door, setting her backpack in the corner and heating up her meal. Bacon grease popped and sizzled as she tied her apron around her slim waist, taking a bit of time to adjust the band-aids over her heels (unwelcome necessities, unfortunately - she was long overdue for a new pair). Checking her reflection in the concave frying pan, swaying above the stove, she was relieve to find that the long bangs falling from her otherwise pristine updo seemed to obscure any... _deformities_ of her cheekbone.

After wolfing down the eggs, Faline walked out of the kitchen, bacon in hand, to see Harvey had already taken the customer's order at the counter. He turned to Faline, handing her the notepad and ballpoint pen, and grunting, "Next customer's all yours."

She nodded, nibbling a bit on the bacon as she tucked the notepad into the pocket of her apron. "Thanks."

He nodded curtly, pausing for a moment before his hand flew up to brush against her jawline.

"And if you wanna hide those bruises," he commented under his breath, "try actually covering 'em up with makeup or somethin'. High-collars and me hair ain't gonna hide what Connor's doing to ya for long."

Perfect. It seemed the long bangs weren't going to do the trick after all.

His hand dropped, and he shuffled into the kitchen, leaving Faline shocked and gingerly touching the mark on her jawline, her eyes filled with dread and shame, as she tried to yank her shirt higher to cover the bruise.

She knew Harvey pretended to have no heart, no empathy for the world outside himself. She also knew that her request to keep her dealings with Connor secret was tearing him apart inside. What sane person wouldn't be troubled by their employee walking in more scarred than the day before?

Hopefully the fact that she was turning eighteen soon was consolation enough for him. Faline didn't have the time, money, or patience to deal with an abuse lawsuit. And frankly, she couldn't see the reasoning behind fighting against the inevitable. She would endure Connor for a few more months, and then it was off across the sea, across the world.

Besides, Connor was family. The only family she had left.

She'd have to start saving up for concealer so someone else wouldn't take notice and alert the authorities.

Taking a deep breath, Faline turned to see another man walk into the diner, clothed in black business clothes. She tried to push the panicked thoughts of her injury back, adding them to the pile of other things she ignored, and tread over to the man.

She caught sight of the mottled scars lacing his scalp as she drew near. Compassion bubbled up inside her - it wasn't uncommon to meet the occasional victim of some tragic accident. There were all kinds of people milling about New York, she knew.

Whipping out her trusty notepad and clicking her ballpoint pen into readiness, she offered up a cheerful smile - one that didn't truly belong to her.

"Hi, welcome to Harvey's Diner. What can I get you?"

"Your name." The man's voice rang deep, ominous, like the kind of voice you heard just before the scary music started to play in a horror movie. "What is it?"

"Faline, sir," she reported with increasing wariness, unsure whether he could see the name card pinned to her shirt.

The man glanced up, and Faline's empathy vanished. Gone were any thoughts that this man had been a helpless victim to some tragic event. His eyes were mismatched, one glowering while the other stared blindly at her - the obvious result of a blade's met target. A gruesome scar snaked its way down his forehead, between his brows, slicing his face into two halves - one that almost looked normal, and the other sinewy, dark purple, with skin barely hiding the scarred tissue beneath it.

"Your whole name," he persisted, his deep and ominous voice cutting through her and freezing her heart in fear-induced ice.

"I'm only obligated to give you my first name." It was becoming increasingly difficult to sustain the unnatural grin pulling at the corners of her mouth.

He released her when his gaze lowered back to scanning the menu, allowing Faline to drop her fake-happiness for a split second to collect herself. When his eyes landed on her once more, her focus was on scrawling idle notes onto her notepad.

"I'll have the _suppon nabe_." The request came out of the blue, puzzling the blonde and making her glance up warily.

 _Suppon nabe_. Definitely not something one would typically order at an American diner. Her brain began connecting cultural dots, taking in the uninjured parts of the man's appearance, the foreign order.

Japanese. Her mind clicked, and then was flooded with unwelcome memories of her mother teaching her bits of the language, of learning culture norms and practices. All in the blink of an eye.

"I'm sorry sir," she apologized in what she hoped was an airy tone, "We don't serve turtle soup at Harvey's."

His glare remained on her, unrelenting. Trying to search for some recognition in her eyes that obviously wasn't there.

"Do I know you?" Faline asked hesitantly, surprised when the strange man looked taken aback. "You act as if you've met me before."

"If we had met before, you would remember."

It seemed more of a threat than a general statement. Faline took a subconscious step backward, her hand clinging nervously to the pendant tied 'round her neck as her eyes darted momentarily to the kitchen, where Harvey still resided.

The man's eyes traveled down, eyes honing in on the symbol her fingers fiddled with, and he was suddenly on his feet. The sudden action made Faline jump back a bit, holding her notepad and pen at her sides.

"Nevermind," the man backtracked, eyes sweeping over each and every one of Faline's facial features one last time. "I've suddenly lost my appetite."

He hurried past her, shoving the door open and hurrying out into the street, only faintly hearing the waitress call behind him in strained happiness, "Have a nice day..."

Rather than disappearing into the swelling mob of pedestrians, the man strode purposely into the back alley across the streets, the traffic lights and neon signs seeming to bend around him, like he himself had become a shadow.

It wasn't five seconds before he began using the darkness to his advantage. He melded with the shortening silhouettes of the buildings, using the fading blackness as his mode of transportation until he reached what he deemed to be sanctuary, deep within the city's cramped and tangled backroads and side streets.

The stranger strode reached into his pocket to retrieve a sleek black cell phone. He punched a few buttons, raising the phone to his ear and snapping in a hushed tone when someone on the other end of the line picked up, "Servant. Your repentance for your idiocy begins now. Alert Tiger Claw, ready the soldiers. I have a person of interest I'd like detained."


	2. Saving

Faline closed the locker, fixing her hair over the marks on her jaw as she hefted her schoolbooks into her arms and walked through the high school halls, eyes down and shoulders hunched in her ever-present communication of 'I don't want any trouble, just let me get out of this hell in one piece'. Pairs of feet passed her in the opposite direction, fellow seniors headed toward one of the jocks' end-of-highschool party.

With all the raves Connor liked to hold in their living room, Faline figured she'd experienced enough parties.

With the lack of any social life, she figured she wouldn't consider attending even if her brother somehow miraculously turned into a model figure.

She rehearsed a phrase in her head, shuffling through the different languages she knew.

Mi hermano es un pene.

Mon frère est un queue.

Watashi no ani wa dikkudesu.

My brother is a dick.

Her head swirled with thoughts of exasperation: if she'd be able to study for the upcoming Physics exam, when she would need to wake up for work tomorrow, whether Connor be there when she arrived home, sharing a joint with his other stupid drugee friends.

She shoved through the front doors, watching long shadows seeping from the bases of the buildings in the afternoon sun, elongating by the minute to engulf more of the streets in shade. Faline's blue eyes shifted constantly, watching as she walked in and out of the sunlight, counting aimlessly the number of times she was blinded momentarily when a ray of light caught her off guard.

It had become a habit over the years to pick out the oddest things in the everyday world to focus on. It not only helped her forget her worries as she became enthralled in the observations; she could almost imagine herself strolling through the shadows thrown by palm trees on the California coast, or sauntering down a South American path, shaded by the leaves of the Amazon rainforest. The little things in life let her imagine herself living another one, much different than this life - this experience she'd become trapped in.

Interesting, how a few blinding rays of sun could make Faline believe she wasn't Faline.

She was so wrapped up in her own head, she nearly failed to notice the other shadows.

Not shadows persay, but the figures she caught in her periphery couldn't be exactly described as people. She noticed a pair of them lurking in the shadows of the alley across the street. But, turning her head, she caught no sign of anyone watching her, and Faline began to wonder whether her daydreams had turned into hallucinations.

She spotted another abnormality on the lamp post, again disappeared before she could catch what it was.

 _Too big to be a bird,_ Faline affirmed to herself, _unless New York's recently become home to a flock of gigantic pigeons._

A hand on the small of her back made the hairs on her neck prickle, and Faline swiveled to frown at the elderly woman behind her. The lady seemed not less perturbed with her than with the figure that bustled past and darted down another street without a word, clad in black.

Someone brushed her arm, tugged at the fabric of her sweatshirt demandingly. Faline gasped, snatching her hand away as the offender turned to thin air, though that time she caught a glint of metal at his hip.

Slowing to a stop, Faline gripped her books to her chest tightly, her eyes surveying the street and finally landing on the sight in front of her.

The three men in black clothing formed an effective barricade, their masked faces blended into the darkness the buildings shrouded the street temporarily in.

She didn't bother to wonder whether anyone else noticed them. She'd gotten used to living in a neighborhood with crackheads, weirdos and creeps. Passersby probably regarded the dark trio as yet another addition to the Houston Street Freak Show.

The men blocked the direct path to her apartment, staring at her through crimson visors. They remained still, rigid, their heads turned in the direction of the blonde. Faline screeched to a stop, eyeing the group warily before looking away and taking a sharp turn down another alley, figuring it was worth the ten minute loss of time to avoid running into those strangers.

Her eyes drifted up to the sky, blue blotted out by billowing clouds beginning to form, the foreshadowing of more stormy weather. Her gaze flicked to the tops of the warehouses she now walked between, monotonous brick wall patterns broken by a splotch of graffiti every now and then. Faline finally shifted her eyes back to the street.

The three black-clothed figures had reappeared and been joined by two more, masks obscuring their features, gloved hands clutching the hilt of steely swords. Faline's head whipped right back around, concentrating on the path ahead, until she spotted the additional 'shadows' that awaited mere feet from the dead end she'd mistakenly been heading toward.

Again, Faline's feet suddenly super-glued to the pavement. She nearly dropped her school books, she stopped so abruptly. Her heart skipped a beat as one of the masked strangers brandished his weapon at her and spoke in a heavy Asian accent.

"Kanojo o tsukame."

 _Seize her,_ Faline automatically translated, her mind not grasping the meaning of the words at first. By the time she actually comprehended what the men meant, her arm had been twisted behind her back at a painful angle, her books strewn across the pavement as she tried to cry for help.

Her efforts to scream were cut short when she was shoved against the wall, head spinning dizzily as pain pulsed from the base of her skull where her head had collided with the brick wall. She groaned in pain and began to fight weakly against the hands holding her firmly in place. The masked strangers, agitated by her audacity to struggle, twitched their heads in the direction of Faline. The final opposer raised his sword, holding it under her chin.

She gasped, not daring to move now with the weapon pressing dangerously against her jugular, watching with wide, panicked eyes as the oppressor reached toward her and ripped her necklace from around her neck with one clean pull. She watched the symbol dangle and twirl on its snapped string. He studied the engraving, rubbing his gloved thumb over the carving in the smooth petrified wood pendant.

"Hyō," he exclaimed to his anonymous comrades, "Watashitachi wa kanojo o mitsukemashita. Shureddā wa, mottomo yorokonde itadakeru kotodeshou."

Faline's mind had become a jumbled train wreck, barely able to decipher the language into her own native tongue.

"Who's Shredder?" she implored in a small whisper, as the blade was pressed harder against her skin. A tear squeezed out the corner of her eye, staring at the blank masks that hid her enemies' faces.

More secret hand gestures between the enemies, before they addressed the blonde with more Japanese. "Kōfuku suru ka, futtokuran no ikari ni chokumen suru."

"Surrender?" Faline's eyes narrowed, and she kicked at one of her captor's shins, surprising them enough to wrench her hand free and deliver a sloppy uppercut to the other.

"I'm not one for surrendering," she panted, blowing a tuft of platinum out of her eyes, "Go screw yourselves, creeps."

The next thing she knew, she was on the ground, her head bouncing off the concrete. The pain in the back of her head was balanced by the growing bump on her brow from the sword hilt that had smacked into her.

The same sword that had brought Faline down now aimed at her chest, the blade digging into her sternum, tearing through her baggy sweatshirt to the alabaster skin underneath.

The breath left her. Pain still bloomed from her cranium, but she could barely register the agony that overwhelmed her senses. Faline felt the tip of the weapon dig into her skin, drawing a line of blood across her chest, staining the fabric of her sweatshirt crimson. She sank to the ground, her head thudding against the pavement. The smell of rain came into sharp focus, and she turned her tear-filled eyes upward. Thunder boomed and made her start only slightly. A huge form loomed over her. Her soon-to-be assassin seemed to grin under his visor, slicing the blade just a bit deeper before raising it over his head for the final blow. Her vision blurred, and she only saw a faint change of light as the blade sailed down, about to finish her off.

Faline gazed up at the sky, the angry storm clouds almost seeming to cheer on the new violence occurring in the alley below them, and a figure caught her eye.

"Kanojo dake o nokoshimasu! Dare mo daremoga toriko fukuyō shinaidearou!" a young male voice declared from the rooftop, making the shadow-man stop just before his sword could pierce her flesh.

 _Leave her alone! No one will be taking anyone captive!_ his translated words echoed in Faline's mind, now overflowing with hopeful relief.

She could only make out an outline, what with her head spinning like a top, but Faline managed to see the tails of a blue mask fluttering behind her savior's head as he leapt from the roof, landing silently into an attack stance.

He was well built, the sinew layering his arms and legs thick and conditioned, hidden beneath a pebbly layer of odd-hued skin. Green skin. Peculiar, when combined with the unique frontal armor that seemed fused with his anterior, and the carapace on his back. Three fingers clasping traditional katanas, three-toed feet braced in a battle-ready position. Strange, he almost looked like a...

Faline's jaw dropped, taking in the sight of the humanoid turtle as he scowled at the masked men, snarling in English this time, his voice changing from perfect Japanese to a natural American accent, "Step away from the girl, and I'll show you mercy this one time."

The stranger before Faline retracted the sword held to her as he turned to the... creature, and the blonde released the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

"Not a chance, mutant," the enemy spat, his English less than perfect.

Ocean blue eyes practically bored holes into the black-clad oppressors as the turtle glared at each of them.

Not a turtle, she told herself. There was no way a turtle was standing in front of her, defending her against evil ninja in a back alley of New York City. These things didn't happen to her. She had to be dreaming.

"You leave me no choice then," he decided, and lunged at the closest of the men, crossing swords with him and causing the harsh sound of metal-on-metal to fill the alley.

Faline was mesmerized - if one could be mesmerized while also experiencing gut-wrenching fear. The speed and precision with which this mutant fought, twin katanas moving in deadly harmony as they worked to embed themselves in the enemy's flesh. Her savior's movements were so fluid and flawless, it was almost as if she were witnessing a magic show, almost expecting him to turn to her when his first opponent had fallen and cry out, ' _Ta-da!'_

She decided he must've been a magician, because his impressive actions nearly made Faline forget she was witness an anthropomorphic terrapin.

The turtle whirled around and dispatched the last ninja, face hardened in concentration. For the first time, his and her eyes locked, him finally noticing her fear, her realizing she had no reason to fear him.

And then, more shadow-men appeared on the rooftop, assorted weapons glinting as they jumped down to create a barrier between Faline and the mutant. In a split second, her wrists were being grabbed at, more ninjas guarding her, their prisoner. She caught a glimpse of shock in her savior's eyes as he took a deep breath, lowering once more into a ready stance. Raindrops began to fall down to earth, droplets of water splattering against the ground as the next round of the fight ensued.

Faline couldn't do much more than watch, her arms beginning to ache from the intense grip of her adversaries. She caught her breath fearfully as the turtle faltered. It was noticeable his energy was depleting rapidly, his lithe movements starting to morph into jolts of effort as he swung his katanas. He glanced over his shoulder at Faline, and, chest heaving from exhaustion, vaulted over the army of ninjas advancing toward him, racing up and promptly knocking out her captors.

"Run," he breathed, his voice deep and measured despite his body's obvious strain, water dripping down his face. Although, Faline couldn't really tell if it was rain running down his skin, or sweat from the arduous fight.

She didn't have time to contemplate it either, as she ignored the sharp throbbing in her head and sprinted in the direction she'd come.

She almost made it out. If she hadn't looked back to see the humanoid turtle shoving back another opponent, she would've disappeared into the sea of umbrellas and crackheads that laid just beyond the alley.

But look back she did. And just like that, she couldn't take that one step back out into the street. She just stared as her savior was flipped over the shoulder of one of the remaining ninjas, landing on the asphalt with the sickening _crack!_ of his shell hitting the pavement. He cried out softly, gritting his teeth as he rotated his weapon and struck the opponent with the hilt of his katana.

The turtle rolled away from a would-be fatal blow, instead receiving a long gash along his arm. Another close miss, and his blue mask gained a dark stain from the new cut down the side of his face. He dodged a few more blows, slowly picking off the hostile warriors, standing weakly over his last unconscious opponent, the deeper lacerations on his body oozing blood and bruises already blooming across his mottled green skin.

His knees buckled slightly, and within an instant, Faline was by his side again, hesitating only slightly before bringing his unharmed arm up and over her shoulder. The turtle frowned, pulling away slightly, until Faline spoke, eyes averted, still not fully comfortable with his...unusual appearance. "You need to get those wounds taken care of."

"I can handle it," he assured icily, taking a step and wincing as his leg gave way slightly.

"You're hurt. Let me help you."

He paused, glancing at Faline, the long silence forcing her to look up and lock eyes with him once more.

"What's...what's your address? I'll take you back to your place," she continued.

The mutant grunted in disagreement. "You can't know where I live."

His answer could've sounded like a slip of the tongue, like he'd meant to say she _didn't_ know the part of town he lived in. But she caught a hint of guarded secrecy in his tone, as if Faline wasn't _allowed_ to know.

"I'll take you to my apartment," she decided quietly, "I've got some stuff I can patch you up with."

"But-"

"You saved me. It's the least I can do. Please, let me help," she repeated.

He sighed in a bit of exasperation. She watched him mull over his ver limited options for what felt like hours, catching his blue eyes dimming in weariness and dizziness.

"If I can't know where you live," she tried to convince him, "I'm assuming others can't know you either. Staying here would possibly mean passing out in the middle of an alley, alone. And people in these parts aren't all too friendly toward passed out... turtles."

He seemed to stiffen at the idea of being revealed, sending a grudging glare of suspicion her way, before nodding reluctantly. Faline took a breath, stooping to gather her books back into her arms (a lost cause, considering her study materials were now dripping wet), and then guiding the mutant's arm across her shoulders once more. Her blonde strands clung to the sides of her face, wet hair sagging across her eyes from the torrent of rain the small shower had become.

"I'm Faline," she introduced as she looked around, spotting the fire escape and deciding that would be the most stealthy way of travel.

The turtle reluctantly mumbled, "Leonardo," ss they walked toward the escape, "And...I think this is yours."

He opened his fist, revealing Faline's necklace in his palm. She smiled ever-so-slightly, their fingers brushing momentarily as she took her pendant from his hand.

"Thank you, Leonardo," she replied as she reached up to pull the ladder of the fire escape down.


	3. Aiding

It was surprising, how difficult it was to navigate the rooftops and fire escapes, pick a lock on a window, and help an injured mutant turtle into one's apartment, all during a thunderstorm and while trying to remain in the shadows, all while sporting a thoroughly concussed skull and cut and bleeding sternum.

Okay, looking back on it, perhaps it wasn't as surprising as it seemed.

Faline pushed the oxygen out of her lungs and inhaled just as quick, helping the injured Leonardo into her bedroom, blowing a piece of dropping blonde hair out of her vision. Even within her clean, neat room, the scent of weed lingered from the living room, reaching both their noses from the slightly ajar door. She saw Leo wrinkle his nose slightly, and apologized hurriedly, "Sorry, my brother and his friends must've had a little pot party earlier."

She witnessed the turtle's expression morph, from confusion, to shock, to suspicion. He warily peered at the tiny sliver of the hallway visible through the cracked door, then squinted at Faline quizzically, his lack of words speaking volumes to her.

"No, I don't do drugs," she said with a huff, "That would be my brother."

She removed his arm from around her shoulders, gently pushing his shoulders down and making him sit on her window seat, ignoring his dubious expression. With a grunt, she gently massaged the lump on her head.

"I'll be back," she assured, turning on her heel and disappearing into another room, what Leonardo assumed was the bathroom.

His ocean blue eyes swept the small bedroom, pinpointing details of Faline's tiny dwelling. Tons of pictures, seemingly ripped out of magazines or books of some kind, were scattered around the walls, each held in place with a single thumbtack. There were photos of sunsets, countrysides, oceans stretching into the distance. Leonardo recognized a few places in the pin-ups - Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, London, Paris... He grinned softly as his head swiveled to the gigantic world map tacked above the headboard of Faline's tiny day bed, even more multicolored tacks dotted cities and landmarks globally, though he noticed only one black tack -directly in the center of the small dot labeled 'New York City'.

Faline shouldered open the door, her sweatshirt discarded and revealing a simple white shirt, torn slightly at the collar and stained with her own blood, though its source had already been masked with a bandage across her chest. Her emergency first aid kit and a bundle of other supplies were piled in her arms, hair still matted against her head from the rain. Leonardo made a move to stand up, to be greeted with a sharp pain throughout his ribcage and along his carapace. He sucked in a breath, collapsing back into his seat, multiplying the aching tenfold. Faline was by the turtle's side instantly, frowning slightly in concern.

"What's wrong?"

Leonardo paused, debating whether he should tell her that this same pain had been plaguing him the whole journey to her home. He decided to leave that bit out.

"I...I think I got my shell knocked loose," he finally told her.

"Your...shell...," Faline's eyes roamed momentarily to his plastron, curiosity prodding her as she watched him clutch at where his ribcage would be located beneath his carapace. "How can I help?"

Leonardo glanced at her, his mouth forming a tight line as he contemplated something. After a long lull of silence, he gently reached for both her hands, placing her palms against his chest and curling her fingers of the top of his plastron. Faline let him guide her hands into position, face unchanging, though her thoughts ran rampant through her brain, trying to predict his next move.

"When I tell you," He ordered softly, setting his own, abnormal hands on either side of him, palms flat against the window seat, "You need to pull to the left. I have to rotate the other way, so don't stop when I resist."

Faline furrowed her brow, analyzing the plan. "Have you done this before?"

"One of my br - friends, has helped me when I did this once before," He answered reluctantly, determined to keep his guard up. He wasn't about to willingly give out information about his brothers, despite the fact that this girl seemed relatively harmless.

"Won't it hurt?"

"Yeah. Incredibly," he admitted.

Faline tucked in her bottom lip, tugging at it with her teeth nervously as she reviewed the situation. She nodded slowly, her eyes reflecting slight concern while she tightened her grip on his plastron. "Ready when you are, then."

Leonardo swallowed hard, closing his eyes and slowing his breaths, readying himself for the task the same way he would prepare for meditation. His eyelids lifted, deep blue eyes rid of anxiety and unsureness.

"Three. Two. One."

Leonardo jerked his body to the right, biting his tongue to keep him from crying out. Faline threw her weight the other way, squeezing her eyes shut in effort. The pain that raced over his body almost made him puke - though he was glad he hadn't. The upchuck probably would've gotten all over his nurse.

Both of them heard a muffled crack, as Leonardo's body was pushed back into place within his carapace. Faline's hands flew off him immediately as the turtle slumped a bit, panting slightly, muscles in his jaw clenching as the pain began to ebb.

"Did it work?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah...yeah, I think it did."

Faline breathed out a sigh of relief as he straightened slightly, reaching for her kit and pulling out some disinfectant and a cloth. She readied her supplies, surveying the various points of damage before laying the washcloth on the gash along his bicep. Leonardo winced, and she caught the discomfort before he could banish his uneasy look.

"Sorry." She gave a half-hearted, sheepish smile. "It'll be over with soon, Leonardo."

For the umpteenth time he cursed himself for having revealed his name, and for having chosen tonight to send the others home early to continue on his solo training run. He could've been relaxing on the couch with his brothers, had he not heard the commotion in the alley.

 _Then again,_ he consoled himself, _if tonight had gone differently the Foot would've captured yet another hostage._

Faline quickly finished up with the disinfectant, reaching back into her kit for gauze and gently wrapping it around his arm, tying it off promptly and grabbing the washcloth again.

"...Leo."

"Huh?" Faline tilted her head up to look at the mutant, whose eyes were directed at the shag carpet at his feet.

"Just Leo is fine. Only my...father...calls me by my full name."

"Oh." Faline's eyes flashed with the slightest surprise at the mention of any family, which Leo caught onto quickly.

Another small pause followed.

"What about you?" He asked abruptly, eyes still focused on the floor.

"Hm?"

"Do you always go by Faline?"

"Oh." She redirected her attention to the raw knuckles she was now working on. "Yeah. No one's bothered giving me a nickname."

He watched her work silently , her careful hands beginning to graze his more minor injuries. She glanced up at him meekly every time she did so, gaging his reaction, before returning to the task at hand. Leo subtly stole glances at the girl - she was about his age, maybe a bit younger, her blonde hair falling across her face and shielding her eyes from sight. Slowly, she ran the cloth along his arms, shifting slightly to reach the nicks along his upper collarbone, hesitating every time his muscles would tense in discomfort.

Faline set aside the washcloth and disinfectant for a spell to meet his eyes. Her orbs shifted to the small cut running down Leo's right cheek, and she moved to pull his mask away to aid the injury. He jerked back suddenly when he realized her fingers were aiming to untie the stripe of blue he always wore.

"I have to get to that gash," she explained, reaching toward him again.

"It's fine," He muttered, leaning away from her hands again.

"It could get infected."

"I've got some things at home I can use."

"Are you always this stubborn?" she huffed, brushing her still-soaked blonde strands out of her eyes.

"Only when the girl demanding to help me won't back off."

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You didn't, I... Why are you even helping me anyways?" Leo changed the subject, trying to avoid a point being made that he had been uncomfortable.

"Because you helped me."

"I didn't ask for you repay me."

"I didn't say you did," she retorted softly, eyes glittering with a muted sense of competitiveness. "If you feel that insecure about being without a mask, you could just say so."

"I'm not insecure," Leo scoffed, crossing his arms. "I just-"

"You just don't trust me. Your mask, though it may not mask your identity all that well, symbolizes your secrets that you need to keep at bay. And though it may seem petty, you don't me to see you without it."

Leo was silent, looking away, refusing to acknowledge Faline's correct assumption, both of the teens knowing she was correct. He wished she wouldn't be so insightful.

"You won't open up because you think I'll betray you," she guessed, "I'm guessing you have a family. Siblings, maybe? I already know you've got a dad. You're trying to protect them."

He grunted in frustration, praying she'd stop talking.

"Leonardo," Faline mumbled, rising to her feet and standing in front of him. "I'm not a threat to you. Or your family."

He finally looked at her, standing up as well.

"Thank you," he muttered, "But I can't trust you. Or any human, for that matter."

She turned her head away from him sadly. "Is it because of my brother? I saw how you reacted when I told you he did drugs. But that doesn't mean I'm him. Don't you get that?"

Leo gleaned the pleading in her voice, saw the desperate look in her royal blue eyes. She was asking for his acceptance, he realized. She craved individuality, not to be considered a drug addict's sister, while also seeking inclusion - even from a mutant turtle.

"I get it," he reassured her, "But I can't take the chance. I'm sorry."

His instincts for self-preservation - perhaps instilled by his animalistic heritage, or maybe from years of training as a ninja - fueled his next actions. In half a second, he'd reached behind her, brushing aside her surprisingly soft blonde locks to tap the pressure point on the base of her neck. Her eyes widened, and then she slumped, unconscious, eyes drooping closed as Leo managed to stop her collapse. Cradling her thoroughly bruised head, he gently laid her on her bed, shifting the pillows and blankets around her in the hopes she'd think everything was a dream.

Leo's hand rose up to graze the cut along his cheek subconsciously as he opened Faline's window, looking back at the girl sprawled across the mattress of the day bed, exhaling with gentle snores now, her damp hair clinging to her neck and side of her face.

"Thank you," he uttered one last time, before leaping out into the ensuing nighttime air, the last of the raindrops from the storm pricking his skin as the turtle headed home.


	4. Waking

"Get. _Up!_ "

Faline gasped, her eyes flying open when she heard her bedroom door slam against the wall as Connor shoved it open. She bolted upright, rubbing her eyes groggily. Her head still throbbed, her hairline warped slightly from the goose egg that protruded from her forehead, and she faintly smelled the dried blood still left on her shirt.

"You're a wreck. What'd you do, stumble onto the set of Rocky VII?"

 _Like you look any better,_ she thought icily, catching the half-drunken gaze and open-mouthed gawk of a man clearly under the influence.

"I fell," she replied instead, shifting her gaze away and began to hastily straighten her bed sheets.

Her brother ignored her obviously false explanation.

"What are you _doing_ in here?!" he shouted, stumbling over to face her, features distorted with contempt.

"It is _my_ room," she answered, breathing through her mouth after getting one brief whiff of his hideous odor.

"Not _here_ , here, idiot," he growled, "Why aren't you at work?"

"I had my shift this morning, and Harvey said I could take the night off-"

"Take the night off?!" Connor threw his hands in the air. "Why the hell would you take the night off? We need that money!"

"I needed to study," she mumbled, inching around him carefully, avoiding eye contact.

"Oh really?" he challenged, grabbing her by the arm. "Because it didn't look like you were studying at all."

"I'm sorry, Connor," she apologized quickly, backing away from him and slipping out of his grasp, rubbing her forehead. "But man, what a dream..."

"Oh god," Connor grumbled in irritation, "I can't take your crap anymore, Faline. Get your head out of the clouds, and get to work!"

She looked over at her brother, eyes wide. "But, Harvey said-"

"I don't care what Harvey said! Get into uniform, get to work, and get whatever money you can still make!"

"What?" Faline was incredulous. "You want me to..."

"DO I HAVE TO SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU?!"

The blonde jumped, before her deer-in-the-headlights look changed to one of sheer anger.

"No!"

"What did you say to me?" Connor snarled, gripping her arm again and pulling her to him, so close, she could prominently smell the weed on his breath. "We need that money."

"For what?" she questioned, snatching her arm away. "You spend every dime on getting high! When I turn eighteen, you're gonna have to figure out some other way to-"

The blow knocked her to the floor. She blinked hard, holding her throbbing cheekbone as she whipped her head up to look at her brother.

"Where are you gonna go?" he sneered, shaking his fist out. "You're nothing. You think if you leave me, a waitress job'll get you a plane ticket - hell, an apartment? You're stuck with me, sis, same way I'm stuck with you."

"You're a monster," she whispered, struggling to her feet.

"Call me whatever you want," he shot back, grabbing her backpack with her uniform and forcing it into her arms. "But you better think before you try threatening me with moving out."

Connor practically dragged her out into the hallway, ignoring the tears streaming down his sister's cheeks.

"Connor, please," she pleaded as he shoved her out, "This isn't you. This isn't my brother! Why do you hate me?! What did I ever do to you?!"

He looked away, eyes ringed with red. "You got dumped on me. Mom and Dad are gone, and what do I get? The incompetent sister. Get out of my face - and find something to cover up yours."

Faline felt like she was drowning. No escape, floundering, watching as the world she used to know - the lovely, beautiful world of love, and care, and miracles - beckoned to her, just out of reach, as she sank further into loneliness and despair. The door slammed. And with the sound that rang through the dungy corridor, her breath was stolen. She gulped for breath, like a fish out of water, stumbling up the stairway and breaking out into the cold night air, gasping for oxygen.

She cried out as the air rushed through her, tears flowing freely as she cradled her stricken cheek and sobbed. She cried in remorse for her mother, in anger at her father, in fear of her brother. She wondered when she'd crack under all of this - under the vast pile of ignored thoughts and feelings.

Faline's hands found her pendant, clasping onto the little trinket tightly as her sobs racked her body. Her eyes darted between the tiny amulet, the only thing left of her parents, and the dark horizon, practically beckoning to her, taunting her with fantasies of far-off places and unexplored lands. Faline's past, and her desires, while she remained, stuck in the same place she'd always been.

"Why?" she sobbed, screaming at the star-dotted sky. "Why?! Why me?!"

No one answered her, of course, though that didn't stop her. There had to be someone, anyone, who might care, who might possibly give her a reason to continue through this torturous daily grind she found herself in.

 _Leonardo..._

The name echoed in her mind, making Faline's guffaws halt, albeit momentarily. The person - turtle - in her dream. Though, was it really a dream at all? It had all seemed so real. Even the unbelievable parts - the evil ninjas, the terrapin-mutant - were branded onto her mind like a tattoo, in stark detail. Faline stumbled to her feet, wiping her nose on her sleeve and clearing the tears off her face as she remembered.

Green skin, mottled with faint scars and darker blemishes, smeared with blood that she had carefully cleansed. Blue eyes, a bit like hers though much more intense, like peering into two portals to the depths of an ocean.

Faline blinked, as she repeated his name over and over in her head. She knew it was crazy. Completely unreasonable and utterly ridiculous. But no one had looked at her as if she was an actual person, with actual feelings, not some nobody. Except for Leo. He'd potentially risked his life for her. And she hoped that he hadn't been some figment of her imagination, and that he was real, and maybe – just maybe- he would come around again.

Her heart swelled at the mere possibility of a friend in all this chaos, but her mind warred against it with common sense. After all, he had knocked her out as repayment for helping him... but Faline had seen the regret mingling with the ocean blue in his eyes as she'd fallen unconscious.

She refused to believe he'd taken advantage of her offer to help.

 _Leonardo..._

She stared out over the rooftops, her fingers still squeezing her amulet, the engraving pressing against the skin of her palm while she gathered her breath and then called softly.

"I don't know if you're out there. I know you don't want to be found. I don't care that you're...different. But please..." Her words lowered to a whisper as they brushed past her lips. "Don't leave me. I can't be alone. I just want a friend."

She turned on her heel, summoning what little courage she had left and heading down the stairwell.


	5. Questioning

Inhale.

 _Visualize the entire universe in all its vast glory._

Exhale.

 _Imagine slowly traveling through the galaxies, planets and star systems zooming past_.

Inhale.

 _A brilliant light, glowing at the very center of existence, beckoning with promises of peace and tranquility._

Exhale.

 _Beginning to slip into a place of total calm._

Inhale...

 _Foot ninjas pouring in from all directions, closing in around their victim._

Focus. Exhale.

 _Blue eyes, partially obscured by soaked blonde hair, as she helped him across the rooftops._

INHALE.

 _"Leonardo," Faline mumbled, "I'm not a threat to you. Or your family, for that matter."_

Leo blew out the breath still trapped in his lungs as his eyelids slowly lifted. It was as if the image of the girl from three nights ago was constantly throwing him off track, staring at him with big, imploring eyes, wondering why he'd left without a trace. The turtle stretched out his legs in front of him, wiggling his six toes to restore feeling. He stood up, looking around the dojo he spent so much time in - the oak tree arching over the sparring mats, the monumental shelf of photographs and possessions from Master Splinter's life back in Japan, the scent of incense combined with the musk of sweat.

He faintly heard sounds escaping from outside the dojo: the muffled punches thrown at the practice dummy by Raphael, pots and pans clanking while Mikey prepared dinner, a feminine laugh joined with a nervous, nerdy chuckle that signaled Donatello and April were close by as well. A smile ghosted over Leo's lips, just knowing his family was content, enjoying the spare time they'd been granted between training and patrols. He reached for his katanas, propped against the Japanese screen near the doorway, sheathing his weapons in their holders on his shell while he made his way out into the living room, adjusting the bandages on his bicep idly.

"Leo!" April called, closing the lid of her laptop and shifting her attention from Donnie. "I thought you were gonna stay cooped up in that dojo forever!"

"Wouldn't surprise me if he did," Raph grunted, green-eyed gaze never wavering from the dummy.

Leo rolled his eyes, glancing over at the turnstiles, thoughts already beginning to wander back to the girl he'd saved a few nights ago. Something about the way her blonde hair had always obscured her face, and the manner in which she seemed to bury herself within the folds of the baggy clothes she wore, trying to somehow conceal the fact that she was undoubtedly and jaw-droppingly...

 _No. C'mon Leo, you need to stay focused. Don't think about her._

 _...Speaking of focus..._

"Hey!" Raph called out, snapping the blue clad turtle out of his thoughts. "Did you hear _anything_ Don just said?"

"Uh... sorry," Leo recovered quickly, "Guess my brain still thinks it's in meditation mode. What'd you say, D?"

The genius shot him a dubious look, before reiterating, "I was just telling you I'm tracking Foot Clan activity, to find out the motives for the attack you stopped on Tuesday. So far though, I've got no leads."

The leader remained silent, mulling over the new information while he picked at the wrapping on his bicep.

"Who was it you saved, Fearless?"

The question popped up out of nowhere, and Leo turned to face his red clad brother with a confused frown. "What?"

"Who patched you up after you got a beat-down?" Raph rephrased, his contentious tone instantly making Leo put his guard up. "'Cause last time I checked, you don't go on solo patrols carrying a fully-packed first aid kit. And you came back here completely bandaged. So who helped you?"

Again, silence filled the lair. April shot a worried glance over at Raph, while Donnie seemed completely oblivious to the newfound tension, waiting intently for Leo's answer, ready to add it to his mental list of possible leads for his research.

But for some reason, Leo wouldn't admit to having met the blonde-haired girl who'd aided him. He suddenly felt possessive, like Faline was _his_ secret, meeting her was _his_ business. The sudden feeling of defensiveness shocked the mutant. Why should he have a problem confiding in his brothers? The question was only being asked for clarification on a new Foot-related crime. No harm in that, right?

"Some girl," he finally replied, grabbing at the leather strap across his plastron in an attempt to appear casual. "She saw me go down and pulled some bandages out of her bag, threw 'em at me before running off."

Leo mentally kicked himself for having the audacity to lie right through his teeth. And the fact that the lie was so terrible was doing little to help get rid of his guilty feelings

"So, you covered the wounds yourself, and without antiseptic?" Donnie interjected, "You know the cuts could get infected."

"I washed off the injuries after you all had stopped swarming around me when I got back," Leo falsely reassured, "There's no need to worry about infection."

"So, some stranger who coincidentally had some first-aid stuff in her purse decided to help you?" Raph asked, obviously not buying a single word.

"Yep."

In truth, Faline had gone out of her way to show him kindness, simply out of gratitude, which was a first for Leo.

Thankfully, before Raphael could question further, Mikey skipped out of the kitchen.

"Leo, bro!" He cried happily, "Nice of you to join us. I got dinner ready - April you wanna eat too? I made my special - jellybean and anchovy pizza!"

April wrinkled her nose slightly, "Jellybeans and anchovies? What kind of pizza toppings are those?"

Mikey shrugged, "Fine. Don't appreciate the art of my cuisine. My brothers can't resist my cooking, am I right?"

Raph cast a sideways glance at the youngest turtle, still not completely ready to forget the earlier topic, "Your cooking has given me indigestion for a week, Mikey."

"Uh, yeah," Donnie halfheartedly agreed, eyes secretly still glued on April's repulsed look. "I'll have some of your pizza when the ingredients are actually FDA approved."

He let out a small laugh, only to be rewarded with a few confused looks.

"You know, FDA approved," he explained, " 'Cause if it's not, then it's considered toxic and unsuitable for... never mind."

"Anyways." Mikey turned the attention back to himself. "I'm sure Leo wants some pizza! You guys are gonna miss out!"

"As much as I'd like a slice of pizza, Mikey," Leo started, "I think I'm gonna go on another patrol tonight."

"Another patrol?" April tilted her head slightly. "But the last time you went solo, you-"

"I know what happened last time," Leo cut her off, already heading toward the turnstiles. "But maybe I could get some more information on the Foot's motives."

Again, a lie. The way Faline had looked at him, with so much desperation for acceptance, mixed in with a kindness he found scarce in the world (before he knocked her out, that is) gave Leo this sort of nagging feeling in the back of his brain, prodding him and pushing aside clear thought, allowing him only to reminisce about the experience from that night.

In other words, if Leo didn't at least see Faline again, he was almost positive he'd be driven insane - though the reason he was so sure he'd go crazy was still unknown.

"Fine. Don't eat my pizza," Mikey huffed, crossing his arms. "More for me."

"You sure you don't want back-up?" Donnie asked.

"No, no," Raph cut in before Leo could answer, "Why would the fearless leader need help? Let Leonardo get his shell waxed."

"Raph," April muttered in warning, stepping forward slightly between the two brothers, should the need arise to intervene.

"It's fine, April," Leo assured, back still turned to Raphael. "If Raph really wants to complain, he'll man up and say it straight out. I'll be back in a few hours. Don, you're in charge."

The hotheaded turtle huffed angrily as the leader hurried out of the lair, turning to the punching bag and landing a roundhouse kick to it with a resonant thud, vowing to take care of the quarrel with his brother the moment he returned. Donatello puffed his chest slightly, the need to appear masculine in front of April coming to the forefront of his thoughts, amplified by his new superior role. Mikey rolled his eyes subtly, going back to the kitchen to eat his meal-for-one.

Leo looked over his shoulder at the lights of the lair as they grew fainter behind him. His gaze shifted back to the subway tracks beneath his feet, mind being clouded once more by remembrances of a blonde-haired girl.

...

Faline slowly opened the door, waving her hand in front of her nose to lessen the putrid smell while she listened carefully for any noise that might indicate her brother's presence. Thank God, it seemed as if he'd decided to spend the night partying. She tossed the house key onto the kitchen counter, dropping her bag beside it. Her blue eyes were ringed with dark circles, methodically concealed under a thick layer of foundation that also obscured the bruise that had blossomed on her cheek. Thank God the bumps on her head from the fight had faded relatively quickly. Otherwise Harvey might have questioned the rapidly growing multitude of bruises and calling in CPS.

She headed straight toward her bedroom, unbuttoning the uncomfortably high collar on her uniform. She stepped through the threshold of her little sanctuary, immediately opening the window at the far side of the room to let in the cool New York air. She peered out at the skyscrapers in the business district of the city, blocking her view of the setting sun from her spot looking out of her apartment. Faline huffed, resting her elbows on the window sill and watching the rest of the world carry on: an overall buzz echoing from the streets below, a flock of pigeons taking off into the early night sky, the doldrums of the city never missing a beat as it transitioned from busy, everyday life to the even busier night life.

Everyone in the city, carrying on with their normal routines. So why was she straining against the normalcy, the occurrences and behaviors that had become part of her life?

Because it wasn't right.

She was being abused. She had no doubt in her mind about that. But turning in Connor over to the cops - hell, even just leaving his sorry ass behind the day she turned eighteen - would land Faline between a rock and a hard place. The finances were rough already - it was miracle she had managed to scrounge up enough money to buy the makeup that kept the signs of abuse hidden. Her dreams of traveling the world would surely be dashed if she ended up working at Harvey's her entire life.

However, Faline refused to ask for help. She kept the complaints buried. She concealed her thoughts as best she could, because deep down, she knew people would never look at her normally if they found out what was happening at home (not that they looked at her normally anyways). Society would see her as a charity case, she believed, and she wouldn't be reduced to relying on someone else's sympathy to pull her through the mess. No, Faline figured she was much better off finding a way to navigate the chaos on her own.

Then, a small disturbance. Her eye caught the hint of movement, racing along the rooftop, definitely too large to be a pigeon.

Faline shrank away from the window, trying to remain inconspicuous as the figure neared her apartment. It was now too dark to make anything out in clear detail, but her heart leapt when she saw the blur of green and blue in the fading light.

Leonardo stopped at the edge of the roof opposite Faline's bedroom, scanning the building across the small gap that separated the two roofs.

Instinctively, Faline moved forward once more, coming plainly into the view of the turtle's searching eyes. Those same orbs widened in surprise when the blonde gazed directly at him, and it was obvious Leo wasn't actually expecting her to be there. He took a step back, shock and suspicion flooding his expression as he slowly inched away from her in uncertainty.

"No! Wait!" Faline suddenly cried, her hand reaching out the window toward him, seemingly of its own accord. Leo flinched slightly, putting a finger to his lips. She instantly understood - he was still worried she'd give him away. She nodded, giving her silent consent to stay quiet, whilst beckoning for him to come closer.

Leo's feet froze in place, which Faline took as a sign of progress. At least he wasn't backing away from her cautiously anymore. She fought the urge to roll her eyes in exasperation, her gestures becoming more wild as she tried to persuade him. He held his palms out in front of him at her, a sign of reluctant agreement as he backed up just a bit further, before vaulting himself across the rooftops, flipping about three times in midair before sticking his landing silently on the fire escape, crouching to eye level with Faline.

"I thought you wouldn't come back," she confessed, her blue eyes glittering with interest - not fear, not apprehension. Interest.

"I'm unpredictable," Leo stated, his ocean blues searching for any signs of anxiety or nervousness emanating from the blonde. She just pried open the window to allow him to climb in.

"How're your injuries?" she asked, while her gaze traversed his reptilian skin and numerous rippling scars.

"Good. Everything's good," he replied, taking in the unusual way her fingers remained constantly at work, intertwining and unweaving within seconds, tugging at various folds and rifts in her crisp white blouse. He noticed the sloppy stitch over where the assassin had torn through the fabric, and the shirt was still blotched a light pink from the blood that had managed to stain it.

"That's good," Faline smiled halfheartedly, her active hands reaching up to extract the bobby pins from her painfully precise bun, and her eyes continued to wander over the scratches and nicks in Leonardo's plastron, wondering where he'd acquired them.

The lull in the already-strained conversation granted enough time for both the teens to observe each other further, and Leo was slightly taken aback when he glimpsed the purplish hue of a bruise when Faline turned to check her reflection in a tiny mirror. The black and blue blemish was covered up once more when she let her locks fall around her shoulders. Leo couldn't take his eyes away from her face.

"What?" Faline asked nervously, fingers tangling and untangling themselves in her blonde strands.

Leo clamped his mouth shut for a moment, at first trying to let common sense take the reins of the situation. Maybe the brawl she'd been in the middle of was the cause. But upon closer inspection he saw her other bumps and bruises from that night had faded. Perhaps it was from an accident - she could've fallen, or gotten something thrown at her...

 _Doubtful, w_ as Leonardo's last rational thought before his mouth took over, the words tumbling off his tongue before he or Faline could prepare for the tension the question left behind.

"Faline, who hit you?"


	6. Hiding

Faline's heart dropped to her toes.

"N-no one hit me," She said, moving her hair toward her face, trying to not-so-subtly conceal her bruise, all while sending a prayer up that he would drop it, that Leonardo wouldn't try and get a confession out of her.

She panicked, wondering what would happen if Connor were found out - a lawsuit? Foster system? She would have no family left, even if the remaining family she lived with was terrible. True, the mutant turtle couldn't exactly walk up to the authorities and accuse her brother of abuse, though the paranoia inside Faline screamed to beware, shrieked for her to have caution in the dangerous waters they'd waded into.

"Then what's that on your cheek?" Leo persisted, still not comfortable enough with his new acquaintance to sweep the hair away from her face to get a better look.

"Oh, that?" Faline let out a breathy, nervous laugh, fingers deftly rearranging her blonde strands around her eyes. "I...uh... I ran into a pole."

She internally cringed at her horrible lying skills.

"A pole?" Leonardo raised a non-existent brow.

Faline glanced away, plopping onto her bed and slipping off her white tennis shoes. "Just forget about it, okay?"

Every fiber in Leo's being told him not to brush off the fact that Faline was trying to hide a sizable bruise under caked-on makeup. But he reluctantly obliged, eyes shifting away. He sat himself at the edge of her window seat.

"Alright."

Silence crept into the room, while Leo observed the decor for a second time, and Faline removed her nematic and untied her apron, laying both in a neat pile beside her. The suspicion was beginning to eat away at Leonardo. He didn't buy her pole story, not for one second. But she'd made it clear she didn't wanna talk about that. So the task was left to him to break the ice.

"So," Leo started unsurely.

"So."

"Your name's Faline."

"I thought we'd already established that."

"We did! And it's a great name."

"Thanks. Yours too."

"Oh, thank you, but what I was gonna say is... um... you want a nickname?"

Faline blinked at the unexpected question, pondering it for a moment. "You want to give me a nickname?"

He backtracked instantly. "It's fine if you don't want one, it's nice the way it is, I just thought of it off the top of my head, and-"

"No, it's alright." She smiled assuringly. "No one's ever given me one. Aren't they based on personality traits?"

"Not always," Leo explained, leaning forward so that his elbows were propped up on his knee pads, his chin cupped in his palm. "They're usually just shortened versions of your actual name."

"Like yours."

"Exactly." He was surprised that she was so naïve with something as simple as nicknames, "So, let's see... umm... what about Fae?"

"Hmm... well, it is shorter than my real name. Maybe easier for people to know me by. And it does seem... younger, not prissy like Faline..."

Leo stifled the amused laugh that almost burst forth at her pickiness. "Your name isn't prissy."

"Just the same, I like Fae," she decided, kicking her feet and making soft thuds against the bed frame with her heels.

"Fae it is, then," he announced with a small grin.

The uncomfortable silence returned.

"So, Fae," Leo mumbled.

"So, Leo."

He chuckled softly, and she joined in with a short bout of light laughter.

"Erm... how's life?" Leo began again, wishing he could think of better casual questions to ask.

For a moment, something flickered behind Fae's blue eyes - strained and anxious, like she wanted so badly to pour her heart out, lay her thoughts and feelings out onto the shag carpet for him to observe.

"Fine," she responded, the fire dying as quickly as it had come along in the first place.

"So, you have a brother?"

Leo wondered where all the stupid inquiries were coming from. Of course, she had a brother! She'd mentioned him the very first time he'd met her!

The barrier that was only just beginning to descend was now up completely, as Fae's entire form stiffened.

"Yes," she replied warily, "Connor..."

Leo nodded thoughtfully, trying to salvage what was left of the chance at normal conversation, and finding it hard not to ask more about her family. Fae beat him to it, however.

"You have brothers too, right?"

That made the turtle freeze. "Yeah..."

She grinned. "Well, what are their names? I told you my brother's name..."

Leo's own guard went up, the annoying voice in the back of his head telling him to steer clear of the subject at hand, he couldn't afford letting slip any information that could be detrimental to his family.

Faline crossed her arms, blowing out a breath. "Leo, let me ask you something."

"Sure, anything."

Not anything. Please, not anything having to do with his brothers or sensei.

"Do I look evil to you?"

"...What?"

"You heard me."

Leo quirked a brow. "No, not really..."

"I don't look like a thug or a murderer, or anything remotely dangerous?"

"Uh, no..."

"Then why in the world are you afraid to tell me something as simple as your brothers' names?"

That shut him up for a moment. He pursed his lips, trying to think of a good answer.

"My family and I aren't accepted. We're mutants. We save citizens and don't ask for any thanks in return - it's kind of our job. The fact that you didn't run away screaming at the sight of me was surprising, to say the least. If anyone knew about our existence, it could be terrible - not just for my brothers and I, but for the city too. We've made a lot of enemies over the years... and if anything gets out that might be helpful to know in order to destroy us, it'd be my fault."

Hey, that was a pretty good explanation. No way Fae would be able to maneuver her way around that reasoning.

"Again, do I seem like the kind of person who would hurt you? Or _could_ , for that matter? I thought I'd already communicated that I'm not afraid of you. You're a good person, and I make it a point to never hurt good people. So, why won't you trust me?"

Damn, she sure knew how to turn an argument to her favor.

"Go ahead and knock me out again," she continued, striking a nerve in Leo. "But I'm not giving up until you're convinced that I'm not a threat."

Determined, too. And she knew how to get under his skin, taunting his already guilty feelings about leaving her a few nights ago.

"Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo," He finally caved, "Those're their names."

Fae smiled. "All Renaissance artists... Interesting..."

Leo let a nervous smile show. "Yeah, you're pretty much the only person to figure that out right away."

She shrugged. "Only because I studied Italian culture for a while."

"Italian culture, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm learning about lots of foreign lands," she explained, "Gotta know my facts if I ever want to-"

"Outside the bedroom, a door slammed, making both the teens jump.

"Faline! Where are you?" a hoarse voice shouted.

Fae's face turned ashen, as she turned to Leo and whispered, "You have to leave. _Now._ "

He didn't need to be told a second time, already opening the window and hopping out onto the escape in a flash, with a quick grace only a ninja could possess. She jumped up, running after him and trying to close the window, before his gentle grasp on her arm stopped her.

"Fae, I opened up to you. I...I trust you," Leo admitted.

"That's great Leo, I'm really happy, but right now you have to-"

"Just hang on," he pleaded, hesitating for a split second. "Now you have to trust me too. Please tell me... who hurt you?"

He reached forward to brush back her blonde hair back, revealing the partially-covered bruise once more.

Leonardo could've sworn he saw tears welling up in her eyes.

"Connor," she whispered, before pushing the turtle fully out of the room, closing and locking her window, and hurrying out of sight.


	7. Worrying

Leo didn't think he'd ever been so angry.

His hands never relaxed from the clenched position they'd cramped into long before his arrival at the lair. He had traversed the rooftops, pushing himself against the brisk evening wind that had bitten at his face and pricked his skin with cool air.

He stepped over the threshold of his home silently, ignoring the imploring eyes of his brothers and walking right past the living room, up the steps into the dojo.

Leo slid the Japanese screen closed, letting out a small sigh and backing against the tree at the far end of the room. His carapace scraped gently against the bark as he slid down to his knees, forcing his fists to relax, flattening his palms against his thighs and forcing out another breath.

 _Faline's being abused._

 _Connor is hitting her._

 _That son of a bitch!_

 _I oughta show him how I deal with bastards like him._

Leonardo gritted his teeth, trying to organize the angry thoughts whirling through his mind. He inhaled through his nose, and blew out a breath through his pursed lips.

What could he do? He couldn't stand it. He _wouldn't_ stand for it. There had to be some way he could help Fae.

"Leonardo?"

The turtle let out a faint cry of surprise, eyes snapping over to the old rat kneeling beside him, who Leo swore hadn't been there a moment before.

"Oh. Sensei." He bowed his head to Hamato Yoshi for a second, a small gesture of respect. "I didn't see you there."

An amused twinkle shimmered in Splinter's dark eyes. It disappeared as soon as it had come. "What is it that troubles you, my son?"

Again, that niggling thought of secrecy. Leo's own eyes shifted back to the oriental rug, attempting to talk some sense into himself. This was is own father, his master, the one man he had to, and _should_ trust with anything.

Once again, Leo was unable to force himself to explain the happenings of these past few days, these past few hours. Though he couldn't keep his worries bottled up. Without much of his own will, his lips parted and words began to spill out.

"Sensei... hypothetically, if you were to meet someone who you couldn't help - who you had to watch suffer, and you couldn't do anything to rescue them from their situation... or if that someone didn't even want your help, just wanted you to... stand by and watch, in a way, while they kept getting hurt... what would you do?"

The rodent peered at his son stoically, his face never letting any hint of exact thought or emotion escape.

"Leonardo, you are positive this situation is hypothetical?"

And again, the turtle found himself in the midst of another lie.

"Definitely, Master Splinter."

The rat's gaze held a look of knowing, while he stroked his goatee and searched for the right words to properly convey his wise advice.

"Then this person must be feeling responsible for the situation they find themselves trapped in. They view asking for help as a sign of weakness. This, however, doesn't always mean they seek solitude. They do not wish to for help, though, at times, it is desperately needed."

"So how would I help her - them?" Leo eagerly questioned.

Splinter decided to ignore his student's mistake of words. "If you cannot defend this person - protect them from the situation they refuse to remove themselves from - the only honorable decision would be to stand by them. Offer them a shoulder to cry on, lend a listening ear, be a friend when, perhaps, no one else will be. And of course, never lose the hope that they will see the error in their choice, and seek help in their own time."

The rat paused. "The only other option, I suppose, would be to accept their stubbornness, and... move on. However, I do not see you choosing the dishonorable path."

Leonardo was silent. He mulled over his sensei's words, and those words' meaning. When he finally spoke again, his voice was softer.

"You're right, Master Splinter. To walk away from someone in need would be dishonorable. But is there any way you might be able to fight back? To stop it, before something really terrible happened?"

"The first lesson I taught you and your brothers, Leonardo," Splinter answered carefully, "Was the first rule of being a ninja: to do no harm. Violence must only be used as a last resort. And unless this person was in mortal danger, the wisest choice would be to hold back from drawing your weapon."

"But Sensei, this danger, if this person is causing the other person's pain, they're evil! And we're sworn to protect innocent people from evil."

"Evil?" Master Splinter raised a brow. "So, you have determined that this person invoking harm is a villain? Well then, how do you know this villain is acting of his own will? Or that his judgement isn't extremely clouded by some force you are unaware of? Are you completely sure, Leonardo, that this 'villain' isn't in as much pain as his victim? You, of all people, should understand the faults in assumptions, my son."

The rat's words called forth a sudden memory, a momentary flashback in Leo's mind, of a girl with choppy, jet black hair, rebellious ichor eyes, and wild makeup. Recalls off building trust, and bringing her into their home with open arms. And then of the facade fading the morning they found her bed empty and her things replaced with a single note. The turtle blinked hard to rid the image from his mind.

Splinter turned away from his son, his eyes far off, distant, filled with nostalgia.

"I know true evil," he continued, "I know of men who kill to fulfill their own selfish vendettas. Men who, though not mentally unstable, have been driven insane with thoughts of revenge and blood thirst. Our own family has been plagued by the likes of such a man."

Another image darted through Leo's brain, this time of a man with merciless eyes, with scarred flesh hidden beneath unrelenting armor. And he wondered for the thousandth time why in the world Karai would ever want to go back with him. With that monster. Leo understood what she'd said about being out of place, a fish out of water. He'd been that way all his life. But to return to him, to the _enemy_... it was something he'd never be able to fathom.

Leo banished the thoughts of the Shredder from his mind as well.

" _That_ is true evil." Hamato Yoshi glanced at his son once more. "So, I ask you again, Leonardo. What proof do you have that this 'villain' is acting out of revenge and blood thirst?"

Leo sighed, closing his eyes and letting his master's words resound in his head. Slowly, he rose to his feet.

"Thank you, Master Splinter." He bowed to the rat, straightening up and saying, "I know what to do now."

"And what is that, my son?"

"You know, be a friend. Crying shoulder, listening ear, all that."

"All that," Splinter mused with a relaxed smile, nodding his agreement.

Leo turned on his heel, sliding open the Japanese screen and looking back at his sensei.

"Chichi, arigatou gozaimashita."

"Dōitashimashite, watashi no musuko." 

**Translation:**

 **\- Father, thank you.**

 **\- You're welcome, my Son.**


	8. Befriending

The dizzying thud of EDM music shook Faline's mirror, making the reflection it showed seem as if the room itself was vibrating. Faline massaged her temples, the obnoxiously loud bass notes effectively stopping any real focus she might have on her Government textbook.

Classic Connor. The moment she found out she'd need to study, she also discovered her brother had decided to host a party. Where he got the money for all the booze and black lights, she had no idea (she refused to think about all her precious, hard-earned money being spent on a frivolous party). But here she was, on a Friday night, studying for the exam on Monday, and wondering if her thin bedroom walls were constructed with tissue paper.

Fae cradled her head in her hands. She had work in the morning - she _so_ could not afford this delay in preparation for the test. But where was the point in trying to study when this nauseating music made her forget the last sentence she'd just read?

She sighed, slamming her book shut and tossing her pencil onto the desk. She needed a way out of this slump. Like, yesterday. She squinted her eyes in an attempt not to let the lump lodged in her throat get the best of her, her vision becoming blurred for a split second as tears threatened to spill.

She jumped at the sound of knocking. Nervously, she combed her fingers through her messy blonde hair, expecting Connor to barge through the door and demand she clean up some mess his friends had made. But the door never budged. Faline's blue orbs shifted to her window, where a deep cerulean Post-It note fluttered, trying to stick to the slick glass in the faint breeze.

She rose from her seat, her face lighting up when she glimpsed the single word scrawled in neat, hastened handwriting: _Rooftop._

In a flash, Fae had grabbed her three-sizes-too-large hoodie and locked her door (which she knew she would pay for later, if Connor came around looking for her - she was just too excited to care). She slid open the window, scrambling out into the evening air and hoping Leo was the one who'd beckoned her to the roof with the note.

Fae's plain canvas shoes methodically sounded against the rusted metal steps as she cautiously made her way up the fire escape, smiling softly at the city lights glinting off the bay. She walked to the edge of the roof, gathering the fabric of her sweatshirt close to her body for warmth and security. Her eyes scanned the streets below, grinning at the couple strolling just beneath where she stood, mouths opened in blissful laughter that didn't reach her ears, arms linked to bring each other closer.

"Fae?"

The blonde gasped, and though she'd been expecting Leo, she hadn't expected him to appear from the shadows directly by her side. She wobbled, dangerously close to losing her balance. Before she could stumble, two muscular arms encircled her waist, yanking her back from what would have been a fatal fall and twisting her around.

Fae's eyes quickly locked on Leo's ocean blues, before she shifted her in embarrassment and backed away from his hold.

"Careful," he warned, letting his hands fall back to his sides.

"Thanks," she mumbled, "What're you doing here?"

"...I think we should talk."

Every muscle in Fae's body tensed. She knew that tone - it was the same tone Harvey had used, way back when he still hadn't given up on talking her into calling the cops on Connor. It was a tone that said - no, screamed - _I'm taking pity on you._

"Connor's abusing you," he stated, as if she wasn't already aware of the fact.

"I know."

"You need to do something about it."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I need a home."

"You can have a home without him in it."

"I don't want the stress that comes with finding a new home. Especially when I'm in my senior year, and especially because I'll be able to do something more about it within a few months."

"Faline, sometimes, you have to deal with the stress in order to-"

"I don't want him in jail!"

Leo shut his mouth for a moment while Fae tried to recollect herself. His eyes drifted toward the skyline, calculative and restrained, lips pursed to hold back the avalanche of words he wanted to unleash. Faline shoved her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, biting her lip in exasperation.

"Let's turn the tables here," she suggested, beginning to pace in front of him. "If one of your brothers were doing something detrimental to themselves, or to you, or both, would you still want them thrown into prison?"

"There's not really a detainment facility for mutant turtles," Leo pointed out.

"Leonardo." Her feet paused for a split second so that she could give him a bemused look.

He paused, his half-hearted attempt at joking quickly forgotten. "I would want to do what's best for my brothers. _And_ myself."

"Exactly. It's best for me if I lay low and keep studying and working. With a little luck, I might be able to convince him to go to rehab in a few years. That way, Connor and I will both benefit."

"Fae, listen to yourself. You're going to subject yourself to _physical abuse_ so that he can eventually benefit?" He threw out his hands in angry confusion. "You can't _lay low_ for _years_. There has to be another solution. You have a life outside of picking up Connor's mess!"

"That 'life' hasn't even begun for me yet," she replied simply,"And until it does, I'm staying here. I'm not abandoning my brother, because whether I like it or not, he needs me, and I need him. I want stability - _real_ stability. Where he and I can figure things out, and forgive, and try to piece together what's left of this damn family. And to get that, I'm gonna have to deal with his shit for a little while longer."

She sniffed and blinked hard, the stinging tears fading from her eyes. "I promised my parents I'd never leave my brother. I promised them we'd always stick together, no matter what. Even if he forgot that promise a long time ago, and even if now, they're six feet under, I'm keeping that promise."

Leo didn't dare to do anything more than stare in astonishment. He didn't know what he'd expected to hear about her mother and father - their was definitely no parental activity in Fae's household. But to hear her say it so blatantly, so angrily, was like she'd just revealed the dagger in her side she'd been hiding underneath her hoodie this entire time.

"Your parents are dead?"

The question was beyond insipid, but he was still incredulous as to how briskly she'd admitted it.

He watched her walls go up, shoulders hunching and fingers clenching into fists in her pockets. She didn't meet his eyes, and instantly he knew the inquiry had crossed a border she hadn't intended to cross.

"I'm not leaving him, Leonardo," she diverted, her feet resuming their task of treading a permanent trench into the concrete with her hasty footfalls. "I could run away to every place I've ever wanted to go. I could leave without another care and see the world and start replacing bad memories with good ones. But it's never going to solve this problem. I'm hanging onto the hope that my brother's still somewhere in there." Her breaths turned shaky. "Please don't make me give my last shred of hope here."

Leo reached forward to catch her shoulder, stopping Fae's worried pacing and nodding in understanding.

"Okay," he said, "But I'm not letting you get hurt."

She felt the beginnings of a blush, and mentally barraged the inappropriate rush of blood to her cheeks. "You don't need to protect me. I'll be fine."

"It's kinda my job to protect people," Leo responded, smiling as he retracted his hand. A small moment of silence lingered in the air before he finally continued, "So, you... want to travel?"

Fae was grateful for the change of subject. "You caught that, huh? It's been a dream of mine since before I can remember."

"You ever been outside the city?"

"No...you?"

"...a few times, though it was mainly just for...business..."

"Business? Funny, I didn't picture you as the entrepreneur-business-man type."

Leo laughed weakly. "Well, it's...complicated," he amended, and this time he could tell she saw his own mental barrier going up behind his eyes.

"Where do you wanna go?" he quickly tried to deviate to a more comfortable subject.

"There's a map above my bed, in my room. All those pins represent places I want to visit," she explained, crossing her arms with a proud smile of sorts.

"Wow. Quite the travel plan," he commented. Fae giggled.

"Yeah, being stuck in the same apartment building, going through the same motions gives you a pretty severe case of wanderlust."

"You wanna talk about being stuck in the same place?" Leo gestured to himself. "My family's been stuck in the sewers for eighteen years."

"The sewers?" She wrinkled her nose, imagining the living conditions below the streets of New York. "For someone who's spent his days amongst... well, shit... you smell far better than I would expect."

"You think I smell nice?" Leo arched a brow with an uncharacteristic smirk, earning a small playful punch on the arm from a sniggering Fae.

"I'm only saying that, to me, you smell like the average sweaty teenage boy," she returned with a snide smile of her own.

He shrugged, deciding that normal body odor was much preferred over smelling like he'd just emerged from a toilet, his defensive wall beginning to fall away once more. "The sewer's not as bad as you'd think, really... way easier to cope with than what you're dealing with, I'd guess..."

Fae internally groaned at the sudden veer to the prior topic.

"Ahem... how old are you?" Leo awkwardly questioned.

"Seventeen. Eighteen in a few months. And you?"

"Eighteen."

"Lucky," she mumbled, gazing out over the twinkling reflection in the bay.

"It's only a year older."

"For you. For me, eighteen is my ticket to freedom."

"I thought you weren't leaving your brother?" Leo furrowed his brow, the lapis fabric around his equally blue eyes crinkling slightly.

"I said I didn't want to leave because l wanted a shot at restoring mine and Connor's relationship," Fae corrected, "But once that's accomplished, I can finally convince him to get into rehab, and then I'm getting the hell out of this town." She blew out a withheld breath. "It'll be nice to get away. I just want someone to care enough to miss me when I'm gone."

"A bit counterproductive, in my opinion-"

"Did I ask your opinion?"

Leo hung his head, lips sealed. Fae huffed, pushing her wind-blown hair out of her eyes. "Sorry. I just really need a listening ear, not an ethical lecture.

He argued internally with her that his ethical lectures were impeccable and usually spot-on in this advice department, but aired on the side of keeping that comment to himself. "You want to leave forever?"

"Well, I definitely won't be returning any time soon. But for now... yes. This place has too many memories. Too many problems to solve."

"You just said you were staying with Connor to solve those problems-"

"I know it's confusing!" Fae held her head in her hands. "I'm doing this because I love my brother. And to buy myself time to figure out a plan for where my life's headed. And after that, I can take time to relieve my psyche on a beach far away from here. I'll get out, and never look back." Again, she took the conversational reins, confronting him once more. "I'm surprised you wouldn't want some form of escape from this city, considering you've been stuck in here same as I've been."

"But this place is my home," Leo explained with a placid grin, "Even when I left, I missed home far too much to even think about never returning."

His statement almost amused her. Here they were, two completely different people, debating life choices. His centeredness around his beloved family, his devotion to his duty to protect the city. Her apprehensive need to escape, to leave New York behind her. Their perspectives - their lives - were really quite different.

She tugged at her pendant pensively, shadows falling across the engraved Kanji.

"Where'd you get that?"

She glanced back up at Leonardo, who was now studying her necklace curiously.

"Family heirloom," she responded, "My mother gave it to me when I was born."

"Any reason those men in the alley a while ago tried to take it?"

The memory of the day she'd met Leo flashed through Faline's mind. Her fingers clung to the small charm tighter.

"No idea," she said, "They might've mistaken it for something valuable."

Leo shook his head in disagreement. "The Foot never attacks for money. And I know for a fact they don't strike until they're sure of their target..."

"The Foot?"

She saw it again. His hesitance to indulge more into his background he'd been so careful to keep hidden. She was relieved when he decided to continue anyway.

"They're a secret organization of martial artists, acting under the will of... a very cruel and heartless leader."

"Other ninjas? Like you?" she asked.

Fae didn't understand why he looked so surprised. After seeing him fight, and witnessing the way he so easily slipped in and out of shadows, it had become rapidly evident that Leo had been trained as ninja. That, and she'd been able to recognize the traditional Japanese twin katanas from the moment she'd laid eyes on him.

"Yes - and no," he finally said, "They have no real honor. They fight to destroy, not to protect."

"As opposed to you."

"Exactly. For instance, where they would've sought to destroy you, I'm going to protect you," he reiterated.

Fae frowned. "Leo, I don't want your protection, or your pity. I just want your friendship."

Leo was silent for a moment. "You don't have a choice about my protection. I never _pitied_ you. And I thought it went without saying that we'd be friends."

At his words, Fae's heart soared.

"Really?" she inquired, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You're the only person who's accepted me right off the bat. No questions asked, you just... trusted me. How could I pass that up in a friend?" He grinned.

The girl smiled at her newfound friend, allowing the words to sink in before murmuring, "I should probably get back to my room. Connor would kill me if he knew I was up here."

Wrong choice of words. Leo's entire body went rigid. She held her hands out in front of her in a placating gesture.

"You know what I mean."

He didn't seem convinced. "I'll try and drop by every now and then."

"I hope you will," she replied truthfully.

Leo's teeth flashed white against his emerald skin as he grinned. He stepped past her to the edge of the roof.

"I'll see you soon then, Fae."

"Counting on it." She gave a small wave.

Leo chuckled, stealing one last glance at the attractive blonde, wrapped in the bulky fabric of her hoodie, his blue eyes sweeping subtly over her lean figure before he turned his carapace to his friend and stepped off the rooftop.

Fae, meanwhile, remained fixated on the spot where Leonardo just stood, the first genuine smile in a long time tugging at her lips.


	9. Working

Harvey Roberts ran his thumb beneath the apron strap around his neck, adjusting the thin strap of coarse cotton back onto his white tee shirt as he flipped the burger on the grill and glanced at the fryer full of French fries. He grunted to himself, silently damning the irritating sting of chafed skin. The shrill sound of the service bell at the front counter made him grumble quietly.

"Be out in a sec," he shouted, determined to finish making at least one meal before he had to cover for the waitress who still hadn't showed up for her night shift.

More annoying rings from outside the kitchen.

"I said, hang on!"

He huffed in frustration, wondering where Faline was.

She was never late.

Never.

An equally annoyed voice found its way to Harvey's ears from the counter. "Yo, buddy! Not gettin' any younger out here!"

The cook threw the patty onto a bun, turning the grill off and plodding out into the open, pointing his spatula accusingly at the complaining customer.

"Listen pal, you try workin' alone at this damn diner during rush hour, and tell me how thrilled you are to get a punk like you ringin' the friggin bell like—"

"Harvey!"

Harvey's head snapped to the door, where a blonde, slim, and abnormally cheerful-looking girl had just entered. Her gaze flicked to the increasingly angered customer, then back to her employer. She rushed over, coaxing Harvey back through the kitchen door and hurrying back out to deal with the growing line in front of the register.

Harvey grumbled incoherently, half listening to the bustling voices dying down as he went back to his grilling.

Faline eventually walked back through the door, all smiles as she hung up her bag. He ran a secret inspection of her, noting the absence of any bruising on her head or limbs. Good. Maybe her son-of-a-bitch brother had finally come to his senses.

"Man, Harvey, you sure know how to stir people up."

" _That's_ why I stay in the kitchen," he countered, dark eyes flicking to his waitress as she donned her apron. "Where've you been? You know how late you are?"

"I know, and I'm sorry. I got caught up talking with a friend of mine," she explained nonchalantly, beginning to pile her hair up onthe top of her head.

"Friend?" The cook looked up at Faline incredulously.

She glanced up, mumbling around the bobby pins she was holding between her lips, "Yeah. Sheesh, don't sound so surprised."

"Derrickson, you've told me what you think about friends," he justified, sizzling slabs of beef forgotten as he pointed the spatula accusingly in her direction."You told me you avoid making them, 'cause you don't think they'll understand you. You said, and I quote – 'why tie myself down with people to care about, when I'm leavin' all this behind anyway?' "

"It's a crime I've managed to make a friend after years of loneliness?" Faline set her hands on her hips, not intimidated in the least by his gruff demeanor.

Harvey snorted in slight amusement. "You've just never _wanted_ friends, kiddo, no matter how much I pestered you to find some."

"This friend's different," she insisted, smiling softly once the last hairpin was in place. "He's not like other people. I'm not some kind of charity case to him."

" _Him?_ "

Harvey Roberts had no children. His diner was his one and only pride and joy. He'd never bothered with relationships, much less wasted time fantasizing about family life. And yet, his jaw dropped at discovering that Faline – the closest thing to family he would ever get – was actually socializing, and with a... a _boy,_ nonetheless! His paternal extinct (which, up until this point, had been nonexistent) sprang forth to show plainly on his face.

"Who is he? I swear if that little twerp breaks your heart, I'll break his face." He slammed the spatula on the counter, fingers suddenly itching to grasp one of his prized carving knives.

"No, no! Not at all like that, Harvey. Just a friend," Faline giggled lightly.

With a start, he realized he'd never heard her laugh so genuinely.

"...His name's Leo," she continued, a new bit of caution edging into her tone.

"Leo? Hmph," the cook muttered, turning to pull the fries out of the fryer. "Is he a good kid?"

"Yes," She assured with a grin, "He's totally responsible. Levelheaded, too."

"Uh huh," Harvey made a grab for his shelf of condiments. "Good family?"

"Great family. Honestly, Harvey, he's perfect."

"Nobody's perfect, Faline. Realize that now before he takes advantage of his so-called sainthood," he bantered, ignoring her perturbed eye roll. "Even _if_ he turned out to be God in the flesh, it wouldn't stop me from askin'. What's this kid do for a livin'?"

"He's a ninj..." Faline stopped short abruptly, freezing in place for a moment. Harvey narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"A ninj...utsu. Teacher. Ninjustu teacher. At a martial arts dojo," she amended, flashing an innocent smile at the cook. He raised a brow quizzically.

Silence. Harvey waited for her to say more, though it seemed like Faline was holding her breath for his reply.

"...Oookay," he finally said.

Her form relaxed, and she strode up to Harvey's side, helping him arrange the dishes she would soon serve.

"Just... be careful. You know how some guys are. There're real weirdos out there."

"I'm in no danger," she maintained, "You don't have to worry."

"I know, I know. Just get worried about you, that's all. Soon you're not gonna even be around for me to nag."

Faline glanced over at her employer, eyes suddenly washed over with sadness.

"...When I said I was going to leave all of this behind," she started, "I never said I was going to forget about _you_."

"Don't be getting all mushy on me now, Derrickson," he warned, even while his heart threatened to spill out onto the tiles in a pile of mush.

"I mean it. If It wasn't for you, traveling the world wouldn't be more than a pipe dream for me," she said with a tiny grin, "With your help, I'll be able to get a plane ticket out of here in just about a year."

"A year?"

"Yep!" Faline's peppy disposition faltered. "Paying for all my living expenses has put me a bit behind," She admitted, her smile turning gloomier by the instant.

Harvey paused, the gears in his head beginning to turn slowly. Faline deserved more than this – she deserved to get what she'd always dreamed about. She was a good person, who'd gotten a load of crap to deal with in her life, and still, she never lost sight of her one goal to experience all life's wonders. Even if the hope for that fantasy sometimes obscured her vision of her harsher realities.

The cook stopped his burger preparation to push out of the kitchen door. He jabbed a few buttons on the cash register, opened the drawer of bills, and yanked out a considerable amount. Entering back into the kitchen, he thrust the money into Faline's hands.

"Here," he mumbled, "That should just about do it."

Her eyes widened, and then began to fill with tears.

"Harvey, I can't accept—"

"'Course you can," he interrupted, "Call it a little going-away present from the boss. The new seat covers for the dining room can wait. Haven't decided if I want them in red or blue anyway."

Before he could say another word, Faline tackled her employer into a hug. He grunted in surprise, glancing down at the fair-haired girl and awkwardly returning the embrace. She eventually broke away, wiping away her euphoric tears and beaming gratefully.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it, Faline." Harvey smiled softly. His grumpy facade returned a moment later, when he placed two heaping plates into her hands along with the money. "Now go serve these meals. We've got customers waitin'."

"On it, Boss." She nodded, stopping before she exited to deposit the impressive sum into her bag, and crying out over her shoulder, "And just Fae will do."

Harvey Roberts watched her go, the remnants of his smile still trying to fight their way to the surface. His eyes found the orders still waiting to be filled, and as he returned to his cooking, he hoped Fae would make more friends like this Leo character. Perhaps her days living in lonely solitude were finally at an end.


	10. Healing

"Fae? You in there?" Leonardo whispered loudly, tapping against his friend's window pane.

No answer. He sighed, deciding to wait another five minutes. Just five more minutes, and then he'd finally be convinced to abandon the hope that Fae hadn't forgotten about their earlier arrangement to meet.

His shoulders ached as he cautiously leaned himself against the brick wall beside her window, gripping the rail of the fire escape to keep from losing balance, wincing when every muscle in his arm seemed to cry out in protest. Needless to say, training today had not been kind to him.

Leo, being the responsible turtle he was, had sought out Splinter's permission to embark on yet another'solo mission'. And Splinter, having already become suspicious about his son's adventures during these missions, decided to make the leader earn his time on the town – with hours upon hours of grueling stamina drills, carefully performed katas, and endless amounts of sparring with the mastered rat himself.

Now, sore and aching, Leo was awaiting his friend, whom he feared had already neglected to meet him. It seemed that even in friendships, selfless sacrifices weren't exactly his strong suit.

"Leo!"

The turtle's already tense body was given a painful jolt when Fae's voice startled him. He eased out ofhis relaxed pose to stand in front of her.

"Hey, Fae," he couldn't bring himself to smile.

"What's wrong?" Her crystalline blue eyes flashed with concern, as she half helped him into the room.

"Nothing."

"You're lying to me."

"...no..."

"Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Because I'm fine."

Fae raised her brow, planting her hands on her hips and pursing her lips in her usual communication of, _Don't give me that, I'm gonna get it out of you eventually._

Leo caved almost instantly.

"Training was just a little difficult today. No big deal."

"It's a bit of a big deal. You can barely move without flinching."

"I'm fine."

"If you say you're fine one more time, I'm gonna whack you upside the head."

Her threat never reached her eyes, sparkling with the slightest hint of amusement.

Fae gently took hold of Leo's bicep, not missing the look of discomfort that flitted across his features when his stiffened arm was forced to move. She coaxed him inot a sitting position atthe edge of her bed.

"I might know something that could help," she told him, voice soft and reassuring, waiting tentatively for his approval to proceed.

After a moment's hesitation,Leo nodded, and Fae set off to work. She tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear as she pulled open a drawer of her desk and brought out a stick of incense, grabbing a lighter off a shelf and lighting the end, filling theroom with a pleasant scent that cloaked the wreak of the rest of the house.

Leonardo watched her with an inkling of interest, eyes darting over the small suggestions of muscle beneath her alabaster skin, the sort of elegance with which her hands moved, the subtle excitement teeming within her eyes at the prospect of being needed, of being useful. He saddened slightly, knowing that she'd never thought of herself as useful, or worth anything more than what her brother had told her. Perhaps that was what kept her so grounded and humble, but he hardly saw that as a worthwhile trade in exchange for her own self-confidence.

Fae had brought out a few candles, lighting them carefully and watching the multitude of tiny flames wavering as she set the lighter back on the shelf.

"Umm...what exactly are you doing?"

"I'm gonna try what's called a marma," she explained patiently, sitting beside him and stooping slightly to grab hold of his right foot and setting it in her lap, "It's an ancient healing technique from India."

"What, like a massage?" He was starting to grow more uncomfortable with the plan by the minute.

"No," she answered simply.

Before Leo could ask another question, Fae ran her thumb from the base of his ankle up to his knee, hitting each and every sore tendon in his leg.

"Ouch!" Leo jumped up, holding his leg close and hopping around in pain, glaring accusingly at Fae, "That hurt! More than it already did! What the heck?!"

"That's the point," She smiled apologetically, "A marma targets the points in the body where negative energy is harbored. I'm not entirely sure how it's done, and I'm no professional, but trust me, it'll help."

The leader stared dubiously at the girl for a moment, sitting back down. Fae reached for his leg once more,and he immediately tensed.

"Don't be a baby."

"I'm not being a baby!" Leo frowned disdainfully, "I don't see why I need this. I'm fine!"

Fae reached forward and swatted at the side of Leo's head, making him jump. "What was that for?"

"I warned you I'd whack you if you said you were fine one more time. Now sit still."

She started again, running her hand along his shin and trying to ignore his hisses of pain.

"It helps if you relax," she insisted, closing her eyes in concentration, kneading his calf muscle unforgivingly. Leo inhaled sharply, pain blooming from his overly taut tendons.

"I can't relax."

"You have to – this energy you're storing is stress-based. The only way to relieve the pain is to release that stored energy. So, relax."

He sighed, but squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on letting the tension ebb from individual parts of his body.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

"Okay! You did well," Fae suddenly proclaimed, making him start out of the meditative trance he'd accidentally put himself in. Leo realized, much to his surprise, that the ache of soreness had partially fled from his muscles. Not only that, but his head felt clearer.

"I wonder if Roman torture techniques had the same effect on the prisoners," he couldn't help quipping, chuckling at Fae's faked offense. "Do you know if Chinese water torture has the same calming properties as the physical hell you just put me through?"

"I thought you were a ninja. Trained to look past the pain and defend your honor. Guess I was wrong about your endurance. Feel any better?" Fae diverted with a subtle smile as she set his foot back on the floor.

"Yeah, actually," Leo grinned, despite the obvious hit his dignity took. "Still a bit sore, but I feel much better. Thanks."

"Oh, I'm not finished."

Fae giggled, watching the smile flee from his face, likening his expression to a child who'd been told he couldn't have any more icecream.

"What? How long do these marmas take?!"

"Traditionally speaking? A few hours. But you've probably only got a few more severe points of energy buildup, so it'll take a shorter amount of time."

Leo's eyes shifted to the floor dismally. He reluctantly mumbled out, "Fine."

Fae smiled reassuringly, laying her fingers along his right shoulder this time and closing her eyes once more to restart her work.

Through occasional twinges of pain, Leo watched his friend. Her lashes fluttered each time she expected to cause the turtle any discomfort, her brow subtly furrowed in concentration while she sought out negative energy. The smooth, flat surface of her cheeks curved up slightly any time she managed to relieve a bit of pain. The suggestions of a triumphant smile showed on her dainty, rose petal pink lips.

It wasn't until Fae had continued to a point just behind Leo's jawline that she finally spoke.

"So much...apprehension," Fae murmured under her breath, "You're constantly questioning yourself, afraid to mess up, not wanting to be uncertain about anything."

Leo's breath hitched, and he had to take a few moments to concentrate on untwisting his tongue enough to say, "What?"

"You never want to feel underqualified... always worried about leading your family..." The fingers on her opposite hand traveled up his neck to find the negative energy harbor on the other side of his mandible, her hands now cupping his face. "Leo, you don't have to doubt yourself like this. You're fantastic. Please, never think otherwise."

Her words struck a chord. Fae's eyebrows slanted slightly, gently probing at Leo's jaw until she was satisfied with whatever it was she had observed. Her sky fluttered open, and the both of them realized just how close their faces were. Too close. Their friend zones were mingling, noses only inches apart. He knew he should pull away, but the feeling of her hands on his cheeks reminded him that if they disappeared he'd go cold, absent of her gentle warmth. But it was she who retracted, her hand drawing away and resting in her lap.

"Done," she declared, glancing at him in anticipation, awaiting his comments.

"Thank you," was all he could manage for a while, still unable to grasp why he suddenly felt so rejuvenated.

"No problem," she replied, nodding to herself and standing up to watch the city lights come to life from her bay window. Leo almost thought he caught sight of a new bruise along her momentarily-exposed collarbone. He hoped it had been his imagination.

"So where does all that energy go?" he asked.

"Hm?" Fae's gaze met his once more.

"I know negative energy doesn't just disappear. Where did you transfer it to?"

She stared at him for a second, and Leo glimpsed the gears turning in her head, contemplating whether to indulge her secrets. Her eyes swiveled back to the horizon, cloaked in twilight.

"I have it now."

"...come again?"

"You said it yourself, the energy has to go somewhere. I transferred it out of your body and into my own."

She said it so nonchalantly, as if she hadn't just taken on what had probably been an extreme amount of negative energy.

"But...why?"

"You're my friend. I wanted to help you."

"But now you have all my negative crap! That's... that's ludicrous."

"It's no big deal. I'll meditate later, to rid the energy for good."

"You meditate?"

Somehow, Leo never imagined he could share something in common with Fae. Sure, they were friends, but they were both from two completely different worlds.

"Yeah... geez, don't make me have to conduct another marma," she joked, "You're getting uptight about nothing."

"I'm not uptight," Leo bantered, crossing his arms and pouting in the slightest.

"I'm just messing with you," she insisted, her grin becoming contagious and spreading to her friend's face almost instantly.

"Sorry, I just... never pictured you as the meditation type," he shrugged.

"Well, there are a lot of things you have yet to find out about me, Leonardo."

Before Leo could say another word, a door slammed, and a slur of curses were shouted, along with Faline's name thrown between choice words. Fae groaned softly, glancing at the blue clad turtle with a look that could only mean one thing.

"I'm going," he spoke before she could.

"I'm sorry about this," she whispered as Leo headed toward the window.

"It's fine. Connor's just being... well, Connor."

"Exactly."

"Take care of yourself, alright?"

"I will."

"Thanks for the..."

"Marma."

"Yeah, that." Leo couldn't help the breath of soft laughter that escaped. He stepped out into the refreshing night air.

"I'll see you later, Leo." Fae flashed a chaste smile his way, a smile that never reached her sky blue eyes.

"Counting on it," he replied, just before the window slid closed, and he was left to wonder what amount of training it would take to see her again.


	11. Reminiscing

"So this is pizza gyoza?"

Fae scrutinized the dumpling skewered on the end of the fork in Leo's hand.

"It's good," he promised, holding it closer.

"I dunno, it looks funny..."

"Oh c'mon," Leo gave the fork a small twirl, the way someone would to convince a small child that a piece of broccoli was in fact an airplane.

She rolled her eyes, leaning across the window bench and snatching the dumpling up into her mouth, contemplating as her taste buds registered the new taste.

"So," she mumbled between chews, "Aliens in disguise changed you and your brothers into half-human turtles with some ooze, and you call the guy who got mutated into a giant rat your dad. _And_ he's the one who taught you ninjustu, and the one who this... _Shredder_ character wants to kill?"

Leo nodded, a short bob of affirmation, eyes bouncing between Fae and the shag carpet apprehensively. "Technically, because we're his sons, Shredder's blacklist has expanded beyond Splinter to every member and affiliate of the Hamato Clan."

"You'll forgive me if that story seems like something straight out of a science fiction novel to me." She smiled wryly.

He glanced up, amazed that the fact a relentless assassin after him, his friends, and his family hadn't deterred her charming smile. " _I_ seem like I'm straight out of a science fiction novel," he laughed softly.

"No you don't," she argued with a frown, setting a comforting hand on his knee while she leaned over to grab his fork. He held his breath while she slipped the fork from his hand, reminding himself he'd need to get this warm feeling every time she touched him under control.

"Fae, I'm a humanoid turtle armed with katanas that can speak English. How does that not sound like science fiction to you?"

"You're not some kind of myth, Leo. You're a person –"

"Turtle."

"—that can actually feel and think and act like any human would."

"But I'm _not_ human. That's my point."

"You're not some kind of animal either. You're," she paused to swallow the dumpling between her teeth. "Unique."

"That's the nice way of putting it. You like them?"

"They're alright," she replied as she skewed three more pizza gyoza onto the fork.

Leo chuckled, his ocean blues finding the world map pinned to the wall above her bed. He stood without thinking, making his way across the floor to trace his fingertips over the spots of red taking up an expanse of western South America.

"When'd you start that travel plan of yours?" he asked casually, leaning his elbow against her headboard while his hand bumped over the pins.

"Since before I can remember," she answered, observing a dumpling closely before popping it into my mouth, "I used to think I'd get to travel the world with my..."

Fae trailed off, glancing at Leo once she realized she'd almost touched on a sensitive subject of her own. Leo glanced back at her, curious, but upon seeing her troubled eyes averted his gaze. He was more than certain she wouldn't want to talk about anything having to do with her family, or her past – he couldn't count the number of times she'd told him she wanted to leave 'all that crap' behind her.

A small shuffling sound moved him to sneak a peek upwards, and he noticed Fae had abandoned the bowl of gyoza. She searched through a drawer of her armoir, shooting Leo a hesitant side look. He found nothing he could do but throw her a lopsided smile, stopping his map exploration to awkwardly hook his thumb around the strap across his plastron.

Fae continued to rustle through clothes and knick knacks, during which Leo changed his stiff position three times in an attempt to look less like a prisoner awaiting his ruling. The next time she looked up he was in the midst of changing his position from leaning his full weight onto her bedside table and bending his back at an odd angle to ankles crossed and hands folded against the wall. She couldn't help the small chuckle as she walked by him. On her way to take a seat she nudged his side with her elbow, snatching away his breath for a split second while the skin of her arm left little trails of electricity along his ribcage.

 _Deep breaths, Leo. Deep. Breaths._

She presented her spoils, a small shoe box, tattered and worn at its cardboard edges, with doodles scrawled on its side from years of boredom. She sat back down on the bed, lifting the lid and looking up at Leo before extracting a tiny polaroid.

"This is my mom," she handed him the photo, "Tamara."

Leo glanced down at the picture quizzically, wondering why Fae had just given him a picture of... herself. There were faint differences – her mother's eyes had been a hazel color, and their hair was different by a few shades of blonde, not to mention the difference in age, but the woman smiling in a nonexistent breeze at the edge of the harbor could've been Faline's twin.

"I can see the family resemblance," he mumbled with a small smile.

Fae grinned, watching him carefully while he scrutinized the picture. "People used to say I was a lot like her. I can't remember a time she was angry, or...mildly upset, for that matter." She smiled, sad and broken, but with a sweetness that made one of his own creep onto Leo's face. "She had this kind of...fearlessness," she continued, "when it came to trying new things. My dad never understood why she so badly wanted to leave New York. He was a homebody."

Her face changed, eyes beginning to glimmer with the suggestion of an emotional breakdown. Leo noticed immediately.

"Hey, if you don't wanna talk about—"

"No, I'm alright," she interrupted, "You told me about your past, now it's my turn."

Leo's voice faded back into silence. He looked between the photograph and his friend, making his way over to her side and sitting, the mattress shifting her up a bit with his greater weight, waiting patiently for her to continue. Fae took a deep breath, dabbing at the corners of her eyes subtly as she pressed on.

"Eight years ago, my dad and mom were heading out of the city after Thanksgiving. It was just supposed to be a few days up in Vermont. A nice three-day stay at a winter cabin. I was ten. Never liked the idea of them leaving, for some reason. Connor was put in charge to take care of me. He'd just turned eighteen."

Leo watched as Fae's hand snatched up the pendant on the chain around her neck. She always played with her necklace when she was nervous, or upset, he'd observed.

"They were driving back, late." Her voice dropped like an anvil to the bottom of her emotional ocean. "The people in the car behind them said a deer jumped out into the road." A stray tear slipped down her cheek, which she hastily wiped away. "My dad swerved and hit black ice, and... the car rolled... the doctors said there was nothing they could do..."

Leo reached forward, laying a comforting hand on Fae's shoulder, her mourning emanating in waves off of her while he empathized.

She blew out a shaky sigh. "Connor was never the same after that. He turned to the wrong people, and then he dropped out of college...and then there was the marijuana... and now... well, you can see what's happening now."

"I'm so sorry, Fae," Leo murmured, though he knew his words meant almost nothing compared to the hurt he actually felt for her.

She straightened, trying to regain some sentience of her content mood. "It was a long time ago. Eight years. I'm okay now. I came to terms with what happened."

It was obvious that she wasn't, and that she hadn't.

"Anyway," she continued, easing the photo of her mother out of Leo's hand and replacing it in the shoe box, "That's why I want to travel. My mom never got to live her dream, so I'm gonna make sure I see all the places she dreamed of going."

Leo glanced back at the world map, the little colored pushpins glinting softly in Fae's bedroom light. He turned back to her finally.

"You said that was hers, right?" he asked, pointing at the pendant hanging around her neck.

She tilted her head, confused for a moment, before grabbing at the tiny kanji-engraved trinket.

"Yes. It was my grandmother's before that, when she took a trip to Japan. She gave it to my mom, and my mom gave it to me. One of the last things I have left of her. It means—"

"Leopard," Leo finished, the translation of the symbol instantly appearing in his mind.

She hummed her acknowledgement, craning her neck to gaze at her necklace.

"She told me, when she gave it to me, that leopards represented great strength, and great gentility. She said to remember to stay strong in spirit and gentle at heart."

"Did...did your mom have anything to do with the Foot Clan?"

Her head jerked up, a confused frown shot his way.

"I'm just saying, they were interested in that necklace for a reason. Maybe she—"

"No. My mother would never have had anything to do with evil. It must've been coincidence," she cut him off before he could say more.

"It was honest question..."

Fae turned away, her eyes intently on the contents of her shoebox, her hands reaching for the lid to seal off the capsule of memories when something else caught Leo's eye.

"Where did you get all that?!" His eyes widened at the pile of cash tucked beneath a few other photos.

Fae's eyes lit up. "They're my travel funds. I finally saved enough."

Leo looked up at her inquisitively. "Enough for what?"

"Enough for a plane ticket." She closed the box once more. "Enough to get out of here. Once school's out, I'm taking the first flight out."

It was good news. Great news, in fact. But with her words, it felt like a blow had been landed directly in his gut.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed happily.

"Oh."

Her face fell, watching his internal struggle with his mixed feelings.

She was leaving. And so soon.

 _Leo, be happy for her. She's gonna get to travel the world!_ He thought fiercely.

 _She's leaving me,_ The other part of his brain cried in panic.

Why did he care about her leaving him? He wanted her to chase her dreams.

He plastered on a false grin.

"That's amazing, Fae." He couldn't help adding, "It'll be lonely around here now, without you."

She smiled softly, bumping his shoulder with hers chastely.

"Don't worry, I'll write all the time."

"How're you gonna get an address for my place? I live in the _sewers_."

She laughed, an angelic sound that bounced around in his head.

"I'll figure out a way."

She stood to put her shoebox of memories in its place back in the armoir, and Leo's heart broke with each step she took away from him, knowing that soon, there would be miles between them, rather than mere footfalls.


	12. Hurting

"And _that's_ how I learned the basics of self-defense."

"...You learned how to defend against an attacker... by watching Miss Congeniality?" Leo burst out laughing.

"Hey! Don't judge Sandra Bullock! She was a total badass!" Fae protested, though she was beginning to submit to an onslaught of giggles as well.

"You think she's a badass? I've got a brother who would totally beat that beauty queen in the 'badass' department." He chuckled.

She rolled her eyes, laying back on her mattress and studying the plaster on the ceiling. School had absolutely tanked. Finals had exploded less-than-mediocre grades all over her last report card. But the torment was near the end, the glorious, much-needed and long-awaited end. And the torture of the last days of senior year seemed hardly painful when she could spend her afternoons with him. Leo watched her with a hide-and-seek grin - one that couldn't decide whether or not to actually appear on his face.

"So, if you know self-defense, why don't you ever... you know, put that stuff to some good use?" he asked cautiously, watching her features closely.

Fae give him another of her all-famous looks. One look, with a specific spark lighting her sky blue eyes, and Leo was instantly privy to everything flying through his friend's mind. This particular look practically blasted through a megaphone, _Back off right this second, buddy. You do NOT wanna open up this subject._

"And with that, I'll shut up," Leo sighed out quickly.

A door slammed outside the bedroom, making both teenagers jump.

"Faline!" a craggy voice shouted.

"That's my cue." In a flash, the ninja of the two had bolted to the window.

She followed him over, murmuring, "Sorry," as she watched him climb out onto the fire escape.

"Don't be. I'll see you later."

"Counting on it."

"Is that our thing now?"

"What?" Fae gave him a confused look.

"You know, the whole thing where one of us says 'see you later' and then the other says 'counting on it'. Is that like our... I dunno... our trademark or something?" He smiled like her affirmation would confirm one of his greatest fantasies. She pictured it for a moment: Leonardo kept awake at night by the thought of a cheesy catchphrase developing between the two of them.

"Trademark." Fae laughed quietly. "Alright, sure. Now get your shell out of my room, before Connor sees you."

"Pushy," he teased, grinning slyly. "Fine, I'll go. See you later."

She pointed finger guns playfully at him. "Counting on it."

Another friendly smile from her blue clad friend, and then Leonardo had disappeared. She could've sworn she heard someone chanting, "S.I.N.G... Solar plexus, instep, nose...," as she pulled her window closed.

Fae's hands hung limply at her sides, her mind too filled with joyous thoughts to move her body. Finally, things were beginning to turn around. For the first time in a very, very long time, she actually had a friend. A genuine friend, who actually enjoyed hanging out with her, and talk with her, and didn't see her as some wounded animal in need of saving. Not that he hadn't attempted to persuade her to leave this life. But Leo viewed her as Fae Derrickson. Not Faline, the sister of the pothead.

Ultimately, if Fae hadn't met Leo, life might've sucked a whole lot more. She honestly believed that. Before that Foot Clan attack, she'd begun to let slip the grip on her last shred of hope. She'd actually started to believe she would remain pinioned to this town forever - never getting out into the world, never forging her own path, never breaking away from Connor. Now... now she felt unstoppable. She had Leo. Leo was her best friend, her only friend, and she had no doubt in her mind that he would be there for her. Always.

Now, with the new funds from Harvey, she'd be able to leave. She was going to be able to fulfill the dream she'd never thought possible to reach before. For the first time in a long time, she was happy. She was hopeful. Fae knew, in that moment, that nothing could stop her.

And then that moment ended.

Connor burst through the door, startling the girl inside and nearly tripping over himself in his hasty entrance. His drug-heavy stench instantly disrupted the nice aroma she'd tried to promote in her room, and his eyes were wild and desperate, like a cornered animal. He looked over at his sister, and Fae glimpsed something in his eyes that had rarely shown through since the day her parents died. Fear.

"Conner...?" she asked tentatively.

"Need money. Some guys. Outside," he panted, straightening up and trying to explain, walking closer to Fae.

She stepped away, saying, "You're not making any sense."

A new emotion mixed itself into Connor's eyes: frustration. Fae shut her mouth before she could be tempted to say more, knowing that frustration could transform into uncontrollable anger incredibly quickly. She tried to wait patiently while Connor caught his breath, noticing his swollen and bruised left cheek, the nervous sweat breaking out across his skin, and the way he held his right arm close to his body, trying to ward off any further injury, it seemed.

When he was finally able to speak, Connor's words drained the color from Fae's face.

"Look, I got in some trouble," he explained hoarsely, "Didn't pay some guys for a stash a while ago, and now they're after me. I need money."

Fae's eyes flicked nervously to her armoir. "Why're you asking me for help?"

Before she could tear her eyes away from where she kept her savings hidden, Connor followed her gaze. He stepped over to the armoir, yanking open drawer after drawer and glaring at the multitude of socks and T-shirts.

"You can't take my money," she ordered, hurrying over and trying to block his view. Connor shoved her away, pushing aside the clothes frantically now, searching for the savings.

"Connor! Stop!"

"You don't get it, do you? These guys aren't big on mercy," he cried, finally grabbing at her shoebox of funds and flinging off the top. "If I don't get their money, I'm gonna get shot."

" _This_ is why you don't make friends with drug lords!" she shouted, tearing the box out of his grasp before he could snatch out a single dollar.

She should've expected him to swing at her. Should've noticed his hand drawing back.

But she remained still, clinging to her life savings so devotedly her knuckles turned white. Connor's smack threw Fae's head sideways, nearly knocking her off balance.

"Give me that box, Faline." He raised his hand in preparation for another strike.

"It's my money, Connor," she whispered, willing her voice not to crack.

Another slap, making the stinging sensation double and the girl stagger back, shielding her face.

"Give it to me!" he screamed, his hand curling into a fist.

"NO!" Fae screamed back, "I worked my whole life for this! If you wanna take it, you're gonna have to pry it from my dead body."

The punch landed on her ribcage, knocking the air from her lungs and sending Fae back against the wall.

"So dramatic," Connor complained, "Now, you want some more? Or are you gonna cooperate? I ain't got all day."

"Stop this. Stop all this, right now."

"Faline, give that shoebox, or I'll -"

"Or you'll - what? Disappear from my life? Only show up to use me as your personal punching bag? I'm through with this - I'm through with being treated like I'm a useless piece of-"

Before she could even flinch, Fae's brother grabbed hold of her shirt collar, throwing her back and slamming her head against the wall. He pried the box out of her iron grasp while she was still seeing stars.

"You live under this roof, you live by my rules!" he roared, "That's never gonna change!"

"It will," she rasped, staring up at him with a fuzzy haze still blanketing her brain, "I'm not gonna stay here forever. I can't Connor, you're not you anymore."

Fae watched the last bit of rational thought leave his eyes, his thoughts now completely clouded with a shroud of anger. He grabbed hold of her shoulders, fingers digging into her skin as she threw her against her desk, drawing close and snatching a handful of her shirt fabric in his hand.

"You. Will. Never. Leave," he commanded, his putrid breath hot on her face. "You belong to me. You just wait 'til school's out, brat. You won't have anyone to go crying to."

The threat finally broke the dam holding back her tears.

"You don't own me," she whimpered, "that's my money. You have no right to-"

" 'Course I have the right. You're not an adult yet, are you?" A sinister sneer of triumph crept onto his lips.

"That doesn't make it okay," she whispered back.

Another final shove, making Fae slump against her desk. Connor finally released his sister, peeking into the shoebox and pulling out the wad of cash therein, dropping the rest of the contents onto the floor in front of her.

"All I do is try to help you, Connor. All you do is hurt me." Fae slammed her fist on the desk, and he glanced up at her in faint annoyance. "Are you ever going to see me as a sister again? Are you ever going to see you're pushing away the only family you have left?"

"If you are what counts as a family, then I don't want one," he muttered, "Clean up the mess."

Fae sank to her knees, her energy gone and her body racked with sobs as he turned toward the door. The fear returned to his face, and he glanced back at his sister, collapsed in the midst of the chaos he'd created, before closing the door behind him. Loud, boisterous voices could be heard outside the bedroom as a second door slammed somewhere within the house.

Faline, her blue eyes puffy and ringed with red, sniffled and glanced around at the trinkets littering the floor. She scowled at the snippets of memories. A family portrait, back when everything was okay. A candid of her mother, blonde hair flying around in a nonexistent wind, eyes smiling. Back when she was still alive. Back when everyone had been happy, back when Connor had good grades and would never think about drugs or hurting his little sister.

Back when Fae was whole, and full of hope that couldn't be diminished.

She gazed at the photo of Connor and herself, both with carefree grins on their faces. She straightened slightly, and her (perhaps misguided) sense of responsibility returned. She'd figure out a way to fix this. There had to be a way she and Connor could be okay again.

And the hope returned. A bit broken. Again, feeling like that hope was on the brink of collapse. But hope, all the same.

She'd figure out a way. There had to be some solution. Rehab for Connor. More saving on Fae's part. But she felt it worth it, if she could salvage what she had left of her family and help him through.

That was what family was for.

Right?


	13. Plotting

_"Sir, we have the information you requested."_

 _"Excellent."_

 _Oroku Saki reclined on his throne, his Kuro Kabuto beside him, though the absence of the Foot leader's helmet did little to expel the air of malevolence surrounding him. He shot an imploring glance at Tiger Claw, who nodded obediently and commanded in a booming voice,_

 _"Foot bots, enter."_

 _At his words, the heavy thrown room doors swung open, revealing the flawless formation of Shredder's robotic servants. Dozens of footsteps echoed in practiced unison as the small army marched forward. Silence filled the room once each soldier was in its place._

 _With a flick of Tiger Claw's paw, the sea of Foot bots parted, making way for the brown-eyed girl clad in black and silver armor. Her choppy bangs hid the perturbed crease in her brow, her sword thudding against her thigh in its sheath with each step she took. Karai stepped to the foot of Shredder's throne, producing a manila folder from behind her back and offering it to the evil leader._

 _"Our spies recently spotted one of the Turtles fraternizing with her, Shredder," she reported, eyes downcast._

 _Oroku Saki's eyes narrowed, his one seeing eye darkening as he squinted and flipped open the folder. Again silence flooded the throne room while he skimmed over the information, save for the flick of paper and Karai's occasional uncomfortable shuffle._

 _"Typical," the iniquitous man growled out, "that one of these vile Hamato imbeciles would attempt to befriend a target of the Foot Clan. And you are certain she is the one we've been searching for?"_

 _"Question is, are_ you _certain?" she retorted a bit icily, "_ You're _the one who sent us all on some wild goose chase after some random girl you thought was an enem-"_

 _"You will learn to hold your tongue, servant," Shredder spat, "After the treason you committed against your clan, against me, you are lucky to even be permitted in my presence."_

 _He raised a fist, as if about to strike the young kunoichi, and Karai flinched, not because of the threatening gesture, but because of the remote in the Foot leader's hand with a single red button glowing in the center. Her hand flew to the electric collar around her neck instinctively._

 _"Answer my question," Shredder ordered._

 _"Almost certain," she croaked fearfully, "we've been keeping a close eye on Faline Derrickson. She fits the description of the prophecy. She still has the pendant."_

 _Oroku Saki lowered his hand, the remote disappearing from sight._

 _"Which of Hamato Yoshi's sons is interfering with our plan?"_

 _Karai's breath hitched as she uttered, "Leonardo."_

 _An almost amused sneer ghosted across his scarred face. "Then go. Distract the Turtles. Stir up trouble, anywhere away from the Derrickson girl. Give Leonardo no choice in paying less attention to his new friend."_

 _"Yes, Father - I mean Oroku Sak- I mean..."_

 _The Shredder shot to his feet._

 _"I am your master," he boomed, "you are no daughter to me. You belong nowhere. You are an errand girl, no more than an animal, an expendable mutant. You, Karai, have no honor, and I will treat you as just that - a dishonorable servant. Know your place."_

 _"Yes, Master," the kunoichi whispered, a tear slipping down her pale face before she willed her body to morph, changing into her mutant self, cowering in her serpent form and slithering down the corridor created by the rows of Foot bots on either side of her. The leader of the Foot sank back onto his throne, gazing out over his army._

 _"Master Shredder," Tiger Claw mumbled, "Should we eliminate the girl? Forgive me, but does it not seem foolish to... waste time on observing when we are more than capable of taking action?"_

 _"No," he disagreed, "perhaps, if Leonardo were to grow close with the girl we are bound to destroy, we could... kill two birds with one stone, so to speak." He turned to look at his second in command. "After all, the catastrophe with Karai was nearly that foolish turtle's undoing. Reenacting the experience with yet another would surely break him."_

 _A sinister smile crept on the tiger's face, as he nodded once and faced the horde of Foot bots._

 _"Return to your duties. The destruction of Faline Derrickson has been temporarily delayed."_

 _Shredder's army dispersed quickly, the mutant tiger following closely behind the bots. Left to his own thoughts, the man rose and strode to the vast window overlooking the city. His right hand clenched a single stone, smoothed over by years of residing in a peaceful river, a single engraving clothed in the shadows of his palm:_ 虎 _._

 _"Your prophecy won't stop me, Ōkami Yamada," he swore, like the person he spoke of was standing beside him, "Your warriors will be killed before they even have the chance to assemble."_

 _Oroku Saki listened to his own words, resonating in his head above the newfound silence that blanketed the throne room._


	14. Convincing

"Faline, this isn't okay. It's gone too far. I've let this go way too far."

Fae glanced up from her perch at the edge of the roof to see Leo's ocean blue eyes darken in anger. Her own eyes widened when she saw an unusual clenching in his jaw, the irregular way he kept molding his fists.

"It's not that big a deal-"

"He hit you! Repeatedly!" He pointed to the dark bruise marking her left cheek.

"That's not new for me-"

"That doesn't make it okay! _And_ he took your money!"

"Okay, that's kind of new, but-"

"This is my fault."

"What? No, Leo! You can't prevent this," She tried to regain a composed tone, "This is my problem, not yours-"

"I told you I'd protect you!" He suddenly cried, pacing the length of the apartment building's roof, "I was supposed to protect you, and all I can do now is stand by and watch while you get beat up by your own brother. I failed you."

Leo cradled his head in his hands, mumbling incoherently. Fae's heart fluttered and sank simultaneously. Watching him so worried about her well-being gave her butterflies. But the amount of frustration he expressed about the possibility of failing to protect her filled her with the same amount of worry.

Fae stood up, carefully resting her hand on his arm and instantly quieting his babbling.

"You haven't failed me," she told him, "it's impossible for you to fail me, Leo."

The turtle's eyes flicked to her fingers.

"I'm not letting you get hurt anymore."

Before Fae could say anything, he'd grabbed her hand, pulling her to the edge of the roof. Again, the feelings exploding in her chest were imperceptive: shock, even more worry, confusion, nervousness... giddiness. She couldn't seem to tear away from the sight of their interlocked hands - his green fingers wrapping around and lacing through her own, her hand pale and weak in contrast with his strong and comforting hold...

She snapped herself out of her daze. "Wait, what're you-"

"We can make room for you, I'm sure," he interrupted, stopping with his toes hovering out over the edge of the building, "at least until we can figure out a more permanent place for you to live..."

"Leo, I can't."

"You're not staying," he replied simply, "I'm getting you out of this hell hole."

"Leonardo! Don't-"

Fae gasped when Leo suddenly swept her into his arms and jumped.

The wind blew her blonde hair back, and the freefalling sensation caused her to cling to her friend in panic as Leo landed on the fire escape.

She couldn't decide whether felt secure... or awkward.

Could she completely trust that Leo wouldn't drop her?

Yes.

Was she the most safe she'd ever felt when his arms were holding her against him?

Yes.

Could she spend endless hours just studying his eyes, trying to decipher the multitude of emotions and thoughts whirring behind those hypnotizing pools of blue...?

Most definitely.

So why was she so sure that this - him valiantly carrying her to somewhere she'd undoubtedly be safe - was wrong?

"Leo, no," she pushed herself out of his arms, tumbling to the ground and wincing a bit when she landed on her bruised ribs.

He skidded to a halt, crouching beside her. "Are you crazy?!"

"I can't go with you," She said, getting to her feet and brushing herself off.

"Of course you can!"

"Leonardo Hamato! I am not going with you. Connor is my family, the only family I have left! I CAN'T LEAVE HIM! I PROMISED MY MOM I... wouldn't..."

Her heart shattered. Broke into a million pieces, just like it had eight years ago. She crumpled to her knees, her emotions flowing in the tears that began to spill down her cheeks. Leo was by her side in an instant.

"I promised her before she left," Fae sobbed, "She told me to promise her not to leave my brother."

Leo was silent for a moment. "Fae, that was years ago. Don't you think she just meant to stay safe while she was away...?"

"It's more than that," she insisted, holding herself and trying to keep herself from falling apart, "My mom never left us. She never lived her dream, because family was the one thing that truly made her happy. And she's gone. And my dad's gone. Leo, they're dead. And if I leave Connor, I'm gonna be all alone."

He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her in a hug.

"You're not alone," he murmured, "you're never gonna be alone. I'm here for you. We'll get through this together, alright? But living with Connor isn't safe for you. And I'm sorry, I'm not letting you stay here to be mistreated..."

"I'm not some charity case, Leo."

"No, you're not. You're my friend. And as your friend, I'm not letting you get hurt anymore. Please, Faline."

Her tears didn't stop, as she leaned further into his embrace. Leo stared up at the stars, twinkling above them.

"Tell me about them. Your brothers," she whispered.

"What about them?" He murmured back, holding her in his comforting embrace and keeping his eyes locked on the constellations not blotted out by light pollution.

"Anything. Just tell me what a real family is like."

Leo's eyes closed for a moment, trying to stifle the feelings trying to escape, just listening to the sorrow in her voice.

"Mikey," he began, "he's the goofball. The prankster of us four, the little brother. He'll always have this look in his eye, like he's about to throw a water balloon at you."

Fae's shaking shoulders began to calm down, her sobs reduced to tiny whimpers.

"And there's Donnie. He's the brains of the group, the genius," Leo continued, "His nose is always in some invention, and he makes crazy things that Einstein himself probably wouldn't be able to figure out."

She looked up, tears still staining her perfect alabaster cheeks, though a twinkle of her usual hopefulness had begun to shine through in her eyes.

"Raph," he finished up, "the hothead. He's got a crazy temper, and he always thinks the best way to solve a problem is with a fist fight..."

Her face fell. "Like Connor."

"No. Not like Connor. Raph is the way he is for the team. He fights like hell, but he always does it for his family."

Fae's gaze dropped to the ground. Impulsively, Leo reached forward and brushed away the tear about to run down her face. She leaned into his touch.

"And then there's you." Her voice was barely audible.

"Yeah. The leader," He replied automatically.

"But there's so much more to you than that," she countered, daring to meet his ocean blue eyes once more, "You're... imperturbable. You care about the people you protect. You care about your family. You're selfless, and maybe you're not totally fearless - no one is. But you put everyone else's needs before your own. You're... courageous, Leonardo. You're the kindest person I've ever met. You were my friend, when I'd shut everyone else out."

Leo smiled. "I wouldn't know why anyone wouldn't want to be friends with you, Fae."

She smiled bashfully.

"But," he continued, "I still want you to consider moving out."

She sighed, biting her lip indecisively for a moment.

"If I go with you, your family won't mind?"

"No! Not at all. You'd be more than welcome."

"...Okay. I'll do it," Fae looked up at Leo, "I'll go with you."

Leo grinned, relieved, pulling her to her feet and hugging her quickly.

"You're not gonna regret this," he assured, "you'll see."


	15. Promising

"Where's the honor in keeping secrets from your brothers?!" Raph said, leaping down into the alley and glaring accusingly at Leonardo.

"It's called compartmentalization of information!" Leo shot back, sheathing his katanas for a moment to peek around the corner at Shredder's lair, "And I didn't think it was that big of a deal, back then."

"I'd say meeting a girl who had mysteriously become a target of the Foot Clan is a pretty big deal," Donnie said, landing atop the dumpster beside the leader and tracing his fingers over the buttons and grooves on his bo.

"And she's coming to live with us?" Michelangelo asked, hanging upside down from the fire escape ladder.

"She's WHAT?!" Raph exploded.

"Shh! Mikey, you weren't supposed to say anything!" Leo muttered, scowling at the youngest terrapin, who only smiled apologetically.

"More secrets? Why am I not surprised?"

" _Shh_! Can't you see we're on a patrol? We're supposed to stay silent!"

"As much as I'd like to listen to the two of you getting at each other's throats," Donatello cut in, "I think we have a bit bigger problem at the moment."

"What do you mean, bigger..." the leader trailed off when all four turtles caught the distinct sound of scales against pavement. The team turned, weapons poised and ready to strike, as the serpentine mutant appeared from the shadows.

"Karai!" Mikey exclaimed as the kunoichi morphed into her human form, "Where've you been, sis? We missed y-"

"Stay back," Leo ordered him, just when Mikey had begun to step forward.

"I promise, I'm not here to fight," She promised, her voice soft and the complete opposite of her usual confident tone.

"Sure you aren't," Raph replied sarcastically, "Just like you weren't going to Shredder's lair a year ago to rejoin him. Funny, how easy it is for you to break your promises."

Karai drew her sword, making the other ninjas tense in preparation for battle. Instead, she kneeled and laid the blade at Leonardo's feet.

"What do you want, Karai?" He asked, his eyes narrowing at the girl.

"I'm here to warn you."

"Why should we believe a word coming out of your mouth, Princess?" Raph snapped.

"Shut up, meathead," Donnie mumbled, "Warn us about what?"

Karai's amber eyes shifted back to Leo.

"You need to stay away from Faline Derrickson. She's dangerous, to you and your family."

"Faline Derrickson...? Her, isn't that the girl Leo's bringing to - ouch!" Mikey was silenced by a whack on the head from the hothead of the group.

The blue clad turtle's jaw clenched stubbornly. "No way."

"Please, you have to listen to me. It's the only way for the Hamato Clan to remain safe!"

"When have we ever been safe? Fae's not dangerous in the least bit. She's an innocent. And we're not stepping back just so that the Foot can hurt her."

" _Fae_? What are they, besties?" Raph grumbled.

Mikey whispered, "Dude, you really need a filter - ow!"

"They'll kill you," Karai interjected.

"It's not the first time Shredder has threatened to take us down," Leo reasoned.

"They'll kill _her_ -"

"And you expect us to sit back and watch?"

"Leo, this isn't like the other times Shredder's kidnapped people. He thinks she's part of a plan to end his rule over the Foot. At this point, he'll do anything to make sure he isn't... dethroned."

"Fae isn't gonna die. I'll make sure of that."

All three of Leo's brothers turned to look at him, surprised at his declaration to protect the seemingly random girl.

"Careful with those pie crust promises," a hint of Karai's old snarkiness shone through for a moment, "I'm not the only one capable of making them."

"It's not a promise, it's a fact. Faline isn't gonna die by the Shredder's hand. Not as long as I'm around."

She sighed in exasperation, sitting back on her haunches and remaining silent. She seemed to decide something, twisting to take something out of one of the hidden pockets on her uniform.

"If you aren't gonna be smart enough to stay away from her, you might as well know what you're getting into."

Karai tossed the object Donatello, who shied from it and extended the blade on the end of his bo to detonate what he suspected was yet another of her weapons. Instead, the trinket clattered to the ground, harmless and glinting in the dim light of the cloud-clustered sky. Donnie's violet mask crinkled as he frowned down at the device she'd given him.

"What is it?" Leo said, his eyes flicking to his brother inquisitively.

"What's it look like?" Karai smirked.

Raph started to rush forward. "Answer the question, you little-"

The others held him back as Leo demanded, "Drop the smart-ass act, Karai. What is it?"

"A key," she replied simply. "I managed to steal it from Stockman's lab. Figured it would be easier to get in, instead of having to break in and evade all the security. When you decide you want to know more about the Derrickson girl, find me and we'll..."

Leo's gaze shifted back to Karai, whose sentence had inexplicably trailed off. Her body had gone completely rigid, and his stomach jumped into his throat when she began to shake violently. She fell to the ground, still seizing. Mikey jumped forward to cradle her head inches off the ground, looking at her in horror when her eyes rolled back into her head and she went limp.

"Um... Don? Explanation?" Raph asked. The Turtles gathered around the still kunoichi. Donnie crouched down and felt Karai's pulse.

"She's alive," he announced, "but she'll be out for a while."

"What happened to her?" Mikey cried, voice steadily rising in hysteria.

The geinus tilted back her head, revealing the metallic collar fastened around her neck.

"Electrocution," he guessed, "like the shock collars people use for dogs. Though, judging from its design, I'd say she was lucky she didn't receive a more a severe level of shock."

"Then what're you waiting for? Get the damn thing off of her!" Leo said.

"It's welded shut," Donnie explained further, "I can't get it off, not without-"

A gasp stopped him short, and Karai bolted upright, her hands shaking and her breaths labored, making Leo jump.

"Are you alr-"

She grabbed the edge of his plastron, pulling him close and whispering anxiously, "Protect her. You have to protect all of them, Leo. If you want to prevent her death, you have to make sure Shredder can't touch her. They're going to be the first step in the revolution."

"Wha...They?...Okay, I'll... I'll protect... _them_ , but what do you-"

"Promise me," she rasped, "You have to promise you'll-"

She was interrupted when another electric pulse was sent through her body, making her cry out and arch her back at an unnatural angle.

"What the hell?!" Raph drew back, closely followed by Don and Mikey.

Karai panted once the second round of electrocution finished out. Her jet black hair was wild, shaken loose from its usual style. Leo watched her turn ten shades paler, scales erupting across her skin. Her amber eyes changed to a sickly green, and a pair of fangs sprouted amongst her perfect front teeth. She stared at the Turtles, panic etched into her expression, muttering under her breath, "The prophecy... the prophecy..."

"Dude, what's she talking about?" Mikey whispered not-so-quietly.

She shakily rose to her feet, backing away slowly from the other ninjas. Leo reached forward, trying to stop her retreat, and she flinched, cowering away.

"Protect Faline Derrickson," she mumbled, and in the blink of an eye, she'd morphed back into her serpent form.

"Karai, wait-!"

She darted away, halting at the edge of the shadows.  
 _"When dire is the fate of the pure clan's lives, four souls rise up to bring Saki's demise..."_

 _"_ Okay, this is getting creepier by the second," Donnie mumbled.

"Would all of you be quiet? She's trying to tell us something!"

Her words were coming out rushed, slurred by her reptilian tongue. _"The soul of a leopard, with eyes of sky-"_

She never finished, as another shock made her hiss in pain, looking back at the four of them warily.

"Make sure she survives," Karai said, "If I will not be the one to end Shredder, the Freeformers will be."

"I will," Leo replied, "I... I promise."

She disappeared in a blur of white and silver. The Turtles were silent.

"...Free Formers? Prophecy? What just _happened_?" Raph finally asked.

"I don't know," D answered, "But I'd say getting this _Faline_ girl to safety just went to the top of our priority list."


	16. Leaving?

The tension in the air was palpable. Fae stared at her suitcase, her few pairs of shoes and nice shirts and other necessities packed close together. Another backpack leaned against the headboard of her bed, her travel map and shoebox of precious photos with a few other paraphernalia therein.

She glanced at her window, the light of dawn beginning to bleach the otherwise blackened night sky.

Eighteen. Ten years of waiting and dreaming, and finally the long-awaited date had arrived.

Fae didn't know what she'd expected. Maybe a huge event, where she'd waltz out of this shabby apartment building, holding her stash of travel funds in one hand and stretching her other palm upward toward the sun, ready to take charge of her own life, ready to catch the first plane out.  
Instead, she'd woken up feeling numb. Like she'd been wrapped in soundproof bubble wrap, unable to sense anything around her, her mind stuck on autopilot, in orbit around the big number 18 lit up like a neon sign in her skull that had seemingly replaced all other thoughts.

Leo would be coming soon. He'd promised to put her up for as long as needed at his place. The prospect of getting to spend more time with him made Fae's heart skip a beat. She hastily tried to calm the rapid thumping in her chest at the thought of her...friend.

That's what Leo was. A friend.

A good friend.

Her best friend.

Her only friend, who seemed to brighten Fae's day anytime she laid eyes on him...

Fae was wrenched out of her thoughts when a searing sensation assaulted the base of her neck. Her hand flew to the spot of pain, rubbing at what she presumed was a crick, and suddenly the pain sprang up into her head, raced down her back, and enveloped her limbs. She gasped, instinctive tears springing into her eyes, the suddenness of the discomfort making her stumble forward onto her bed.

The stench of Connor's numerous drugs instantly began to burn her nose, the odor she'd grown so accustomed to coming forth in startling pungency. A car horn honked on the street outside, and Faline snapped her head in the direction of the noise, her ears ringing in the aftermath of the now-enhanced sound.

Instantly, she began to panic. The pain in her spine had finally begun to ebb, but her increased senses remained overt. She struggled off of her bed, stumbling into her bathroom and gripping the rim of the sink, gulping air like a fish out of water and wondering why her vision was going in and out of focus.

Fae reached for her pendant, her nervous habit returning as she tried to grasp what was happening, and hissed in pain. She drew her hand away quickly, staring at her throbbing fingertips, turning red and burning.

"What...what's happening?" she spoke to herself, craning her neck to peer down at the tiny amulet hanging from its silver chain.

Her eyes widened when she watched the leopard kanji engraved on the pendant beginning to glow, the grooves in the petrified wood beginning to brighten, as if liquid blue light was being poured into the tiny symbol.

Faline rubbed her eyes quickly, hoping she was hallucinating. Her nose still twitched a bit at the intense scents, her ears still picking up every scrap of sound ringing around her. She jerked her head up to stare at herself in the mirror, her sky blue irises immense and her jaw slightly agape.

She squinted, leaning forward slightly to gaze at her reflection. She ran her tongue out along her front teeth, and then sprang back with her hand clapped over her mouth in shock. She shook her head in disbelief, stepping closer to the bathroom mirror. Her hand fell away, revealing the sharpened canines and incisors, her teeth pointed and vicious. Her pupils were now shrinking and dilating constantly, turning into feline eyes. Goosebumps erupted across her skin the next second, and Fae cried out in surprise when markings - dark brown spots - began to appear faintly on her shoulders and collarbone, where they weren't concealed by her thin gray tank top. Leopard spots.

"What the hell...?" she breathed in horror, and the pain returned, making her fall to her knees and hold her head in her hands. She gasped out a quiet plea for help, before the short bout of agony subsided.

Faline's hands shook, her entire body wrought with anxiety as she pulled herself to her feet.

"I'm nuts," she decided, "totally and completely nuts. The day I'm about to leave, I turn into a basket case."

Somehow, she willed her eyes to move back to the mirror. And she looked perfectly normal. The same Faline Derrickson; no leopard spots, no savage teeth, no cat pupils. Blonde, blue-eyed, with a fading bruise gracing her cheekbone. Her pendant was resting against her chest, without any signs of being searing hot or glowing.

She sank onto the closed toilet seat, running her hands through her hair restively.

"Damn it, Leo, where are you?"

 _What did she mean, protect_ them?

Leo frowned slightly as he landed on the rooftop of Fae's apartment building, glancing over his shoulder in paranoia to search for any pursuers. His suspicion of something going awry today had been growing steadily.

He hopped down the fire escape, tapping on his friend's window urgently. His fingers itched to reach toward his katanas, still strapped to his shell, but he remained still.

A noise like someone tripping over themselves sounded, and the blinds on Fae's window flew up, revealing the frazzled blonde. Leo threw a worried smile her way, motioning for her to let him in.

She slid the window open, ushering the turtle into her bedroom.

Leonardo glanced around the room, taking in the expanse of bare walls and empty drawers. His anxiety spiked, for some reason, and it didn't help when Fae grabbed his arm forcefully and turned him to meet her gaze.

"Something's wrong," she stated, her eyes searching his for a reaction to her ridiculously simple statement.

Yet those two words were all that was needed to set Leo on edge. Karai's ominous words echoed through his head, Protect her. You have to protect her, Leo.

"We need to go," he said, picking up her suitcase and sliding the strap of her backpack onto his shoulder in the blink of an eye.

"Wait, I need to tell you-"

"It's not safe here. We need to get you to the lair."

"Leo, it's important-"

"Look," he stopped her, "I'll listen to you. For hours, if you want me to. But right now-"

"I get it, you think it's dangerous, but Connor isn't here. And just now, I-"

He took her hand, already pulling her toward the open window. Fae huffed, trying to explain whatever it was she found so vastly important. Something about... teeth? And leopards? Leo honestly didn't know, he was so focused on getting her out. She gasped once they'd finally reached the fire escape.

"My shoe box!"

Leo groaned impatiently, about to reopen the window when both teens heard a rough voice call out from somewhere inside the apartment, "Faline!"

Connor's voice made Fae's blood turn to ice.

"We're leaving," Leo declared, taking her hand and making all that ice-cold blood rush to the girl's face.

She snatched her hand away before her face could turn bright red. "I'm not leaving without that shoe box, Leo."

Fae scrambled back into her room, hearing Leo's exasperated sigh before he followed her in. She reached her small box of memories and clutched it to her chest protectively.

"Alright, now we can go."

"Faline, you in there?" Connor shouted, and footsteps were heard echoing down the hallway outside the closed door.

"Hurry, get out! Before he sees you!" she hissed, grabbing her bags away from Leo and pointing toward the fire escape.

He didn't budge. "I'm not leaving you."

"I'll be fine," she lied, "you can come back to get me once he's-"

Too late. The knob on her bedroom door began to turn, and Fae jumped in front of her friend, attempting to shield as much of him from view as possible.

"There you are," Connor said, swinging the door open.

She said nothing, waiting for him to notice the anthropomorphic turtle adorned with ninja weapons standing behind her. Connor's eyes narrowed at her quizzically.

"What're you doing?"

She paused, glancing behind her to see that Leo had vanished. She breathed a sigh of relief, returning her gaze to her brother.

"N...Nothing. What are you doing?"

"Making sure you didn't sneak off," Connor's eyes flicked to the bags clustered around her feet, "and it looks like I interrupted a departure."

"You don't have any rights over me," she declared, "I'm eighteen today. Officially an adult. And I'm moving out."

Connor snickered. "Like hell you are. You don't have any money. No friends, either."

"I have friends. And I'm leaving. Whether you like it or not."

"Oh, look at Faline, so mature now," he taunted, turning and locking the door, "You're not leaving, unless I say you can."

"Connor, don't do this," she begged, "you're not thinking straight."

"Me? You're the one not thinking straight. Thinking you're so high and mighty, just because you're one year older? Think again."

Fae pursed her lips, anger burning in her eyes. She lunged toward the partially-open window, trying to escape the room. Connor grabbed her ankle before she emerge onto the fire escape, hauling her back dodged the helpless swing she tried to throw at him and took hold of her arm, fingers digging into her skin.

"You're gonna regret that, brat," he threatened.

"Please, no-"

"I'll show you. You'll see what happens when you disobey me, brat."

He raised a hand, curled into a fist. Fae struggled against his hold, straining toward the window in vain.

"Connor, stop, please!" she cried, shutting her eyes and awaiting the pain about to make itself known.

The punch never landed, and a strangled exclamation of surprise made Fae crack her eyes open. What she saw made her gape.

"You're never gonna hurt her again," Leo said, catching Connor's fist and wrenching him away.


	17. Morphing

Fae's eyes widened, her mouth hanging agape.

"Leo, what are you doing?!" she cried, pulling her friend out of reach of her older brother.

"You know this freak?" Connor shouted, staring at Leo with a mixed look of shock and disgust, which the terrapin actually shouldered quite courageously, glaring venomously back. Fae would have crumbled under a gaze like that from her brother.

"Fae, we're leaving," Leo stated, slipping his hand into hers and tugging her gently toward the window.

"Oh, hell no!" Connor grabbed hold of Fae's other arm before she could evade his grasp. "I'm not letting you take her anywhere! Get out of my house! What do you want with my sister?"

"Your sister? Oh. NOW I'm your sister. Not some piece of property you can shove around whenever you feel like it?" Faline pushed him away, a great feat for the slight girl, and stepped closer to Leo. "Leonardo is my friend, and you're not gonna take me away from him too, you... you bastard!"

A thousand other insults spun inside Fae's head, and she was surprised more hadn't spewed from her lips.

All reason left his eyes, and Connor yanked her back, grabbing a handful of her platinum blonde hair and making her yelp. "Why you little-"

Leo flew into action, nailing him square in the nose with a flawless punch. He pulled Fae away, pausing to sweep her hair out of her sky blues, checking over her features with a look of genuine concern before he returned his gaze to the young man staggering behind him.

"Touch her again, talk to her again, and I'll make sure you feel a lot worse," he threatened in an angry tone she had never before heard from him. "How could you? How could you hurt her? She's the kindest person in the world, and you try and smother all that goodness in her every single day. You're despicable. A terrible excuse for a human being."

Fae tugged on his arm, trying to pry him away from her older brother. He didn't budge, only muttered, "You ready to go?"

She nodded, taking his hand and beginning yet another trip toward the window. Another trip that was promptly cut short.

"At least I AM a human being," Connor shot back just when she reached for the latch on the window. "What are you? Some freak who thinks he come in here and tear this family apart."

The fire in Leo's eyes burnt uncontrollably bright, and his body turned to smoke - silent, propelled by the furious fire within, encroaching on its victim. Connor had been thrown back into the narrow hallway his own body colliding with the wall, the ninja standing over him, his form cloaked in shadows.

"You destroyed your own family, you son of a b-"

A guttural cry escaped Connor's throat, and he lunged at the turtle, sending the both of them tumbling into the living room, where the smell of drugs increased tenfold. Fae repressed her gag reflex as she stumbled in after the two.

"Stop! Stop, please!" she pleaded without success, watching her brother manage to land a sloppy punch on Leo's jaw, making him grunt in pain. She gasped when Connor drew back his fist, nearly hitting her in the process of preparing another blow. She grabbed Leo's arm, trying to put a halt to the madness.

Connor was her brother.

Leo was her best friend.

At this point, either of them being hurt would hurt her far more than she'd be able to handle.

A stray fist made her frantic mind go blank.

Faline hit the floor, her ears ringing. Her eyes fluttered, head aching suddenly. She stared up at the two young men, trying to decipher what had just happened. Connor's eyes bounced between her and his fist, obviously confused that he'd hit the wrong target. And Leo...

His eyes were completely white. Her stomach tangled up in knots, looking at his expression. All other thoughts had gone from his mind, save for the ferocity emanating off of him. Leonardo turned back to Fae's brother, and again he went flying across the room, hitting the opposite wall with a sickening thud. Connor's eyes widened in terror, his breaths ragged and short. He scrambled back from the turtle as he stalked toward him, unsheathing a katana as he went.

"Hey pal, let's talk about this-"

"Don't PAL me," Leo interrupted surprisingly evenly, "You're gonna regret ever laying a hand on her-"

"Leonardo!"

Leo blinked, his eyes returning to normal, his ocean blue irises coming back into view and registering the sword poised inches away from the space between Connor's eyes. He inhaled shakily, turning back to look at Faline.

"Are you okay?" he asked slowly, trying to rebalance his emotions.

"Leo, please," she responded, not bothering to answer the question, "Just...just put the katana away. Let's go."

His eyes roamed to her forehead, reddening and swelling with the appearance of a new goose egg. His expression changed from one of anger to contrite.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered ashamedly, the sword finally lowering. "I failed you. Again."

"No, you didn't fail me. Let's get out of here-"

Her face slackened in horror. Leo furrowed his brow inquisitively, glancing over his shoulder and coming face to barrel with the pistol Connor now brandished.

"You say one more word, and I'll blow your brains out," he said, wiping at the steady trickle of blood from his nostrils. "Drop your weapon, freak."

Time stopped.

And then seemed to race forward, all in the blink of an eye.

Fae's vision tunneled.

And instantaneously, the pain returned.

The searing sensation from earlier raced through her body, agitating every nerve and seeping into her bloodstream in a wave of sudden agony. She crumpled to the floor, the cheep linoleum cold against her cheek, and screamed shrilly, much to the surprise of her brother and friend.

Leo instantly tried to move forward to aid her, and Fae clapped her hands over her once-again over sensitive ears when Connor shouted, "No! Stay back, you freak!"

He pressed the gun closer against his forehead, and she yelled again. The pendant around her neck began to glow once more, and as the bright haze around the amulet grew, it enveloped Faline in its brilliant haze of light as well. A symbol burned above her head, the same kanji that hung around her neck. A loud pop! pierced the air, a whirring sound like a overloading generator following quickly after as the glow began to brighten even more.

Leonardo and Connor watched in terrified awe. The energy emanating from Fae charged the air, every electron within a few feet of her seeming to buzz.

It continued for a while, the boys not daring to move, the girl limp and completely obscured, until the light burned out. Leo squinted, the sudden lack of illumination making his sight dark and fuzzy.

"Faline, get up," He demanded lowly.

No answer. Only a low rumble, deep and ominous.

A growl.

Leonardo's heart threatened to drop down through his stomach, it had grown so heavy with frenzied worry. He started toward her, but the pistol pressed harder to his forehead, and once again his patience was lost. In a flash, he'd twisted his arm around Connor's wrist and bent his hand backward, the gun clattering to the ground while a well aimed kick to the chin made Fav's brother grunt in pain and crumple.

"Fae?" he rasped out, dropping his charge and starting toward the couch, his focus once again ruined, ripped in half and torn to shreds so that his only thought was of Faline, and not of the still-loaded weapon behind him, or the young man struggling to his feet.

Things happened so quickly, Leo barely registered any of it.

He was about to rush for Fae when the sound of metal clicking into place froze him. An ear splitting BANG! rang through the apartment, and still, he prayed that the bullet would crack HIS shell, that HE could at least protect HER, even after failing her numerous times today.

Leo waited for the pain, or for the agony of watching Fae in more pain.

Instead, he was roughly shoved out of the way, and then Connor was on the ground, the gun clattering across the floor. His hearing was still impaired, eardrums still ringing with the sound of the gunshot, though the bullet hole in the wall ensured him his daze was from shock, not pain overload.

Thank God, he'd missed.

The next instant, the turtle's brain caught up with the rapidly occurring events, turning to hold his fists up, preparing for another brawl...

He thought he was daydreaming. Completely hallucinating. He honestly believed he'd gone insane. Because there was no way a huge feline creature was really pinning Connor to the ground, snarling in his face. Black spots dotted it's golden bristling fur, its ears plastered hostilely against its head. Hanging around its neck, Fae's mother's necklace dangled, the kanji still lit up as if it had been set ablaze with blue flames.

Leo was sure he'd gone absolutely bonkers at that point.

No way in hell was there a living, breathing leopard in a living room, in the middle of New York City, holding Connor Derrickson down.

Fae's brother's eyes widened, first in shock, then in fear. He reached for the gun that lay just beyond his grasp, cursing when the leopard's unnaturally blue eyes flicked to the weapon. The animal leaned down to nudge the firearm further away with its nose.

The leopard - a freaking LEOPARD, he still thought disbelievingly - growled again as it shifted its attention back to the man beneath it, baring a perfect set of razor sharp teeth. It poised a menacing paw, inches above his nose. Its claws revealed beneath the fur.

Several thoughts clicked into place in Leo's mind.

1\. Faline was nowhere to be found.  
2\. She had said something about leopards, just before her brother had so rudely barged in.  
3\. That necklace around that thing's neck belonged to her.

"Fae!" Leo cried before the cat could injure Connor.

It snarled in the turtle's direction. Fae's brother glanced frightfully over at Leo, managing to escape the leopard's impressive weight as it moved toward the blue clad terrapin.

Connor, meanwhile, scuttled toward the front front door as fast as he possibly could. Leo gawked at him, muttering, "Where're you going? Help me, you jerk!"

Connor's head whipped back around, his cowardice imminent in his expression.

"Every man for himself." He scampered out the door without another word, leaving the stench of drugs and stranding Leo with...

"Faline," he tried to reason, backing against the wall. "C'mon, I know you can hear me. Snap out of it."

The leopard only stalked closer, its claws out and clicking against the floor. Leo held his hands out in front of him, trying to keep her at bay.

"Fae!" he begged, "Remember! You've lived here your whole life. You're eighteen today. You want to travel the world. You're my friend!"

And just like that, she stopped. A flicker of recognition darted across her eyes, and her voice sounded loud and clear in his own brain. "L...Leo?"

He steadied his shaking hands, recognizing that inner voice and somehow accepting that it was in fact Faline's.

"What...what am I...why am I..." She began to stumble, her scream echoing inside his head and making his ears ring.

He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting until her shouts had subsided. When he let himself reopen them, he saw Faline.

On the floor.

Unconscious.

Her clothes shredded and tattered.

Her skin still baring leopard spots, dark and prominent.

"What...just happened?" he asked aloud as he cradled her exhausted form in his arms.


	18. Meeting

"...ine...ae...Faline..."

Faline's eyes flew open, then squinted and began to water at the sudden light. She shut them as abruptly as they'd opened, groaning and trying to comprehend why it felt like she'd just run ten miles in two minutes. Her muscles ached, and her mind was still as fuzzy and out of focus as her eyesight. Flashbacks began to emerge from the depths of her brain; the fight with Connor, her scream when the pain returned. The rest was obscured from her understanding. All she could recall clearly was Leo's voice. She had to have been dreaming, to have seen herself turning into a... a...

 _Leo_...

"Faline?" His voice reached her ears again, bringing with it the multitude of other noises, making her slam her palms to each side of her head to drown out the cacaphony.

"Leo," Fae groaned, starting toward the sound of his voice and wincing when her muscles twinged in protest.

"Keep her down," another voice mumbled, one unfamiliar to her.

"You need to lay down," Leo told her, and she felt two hands gently pushing her back against pillowy cushions.

But she'd already decided she wanted to sit up. With a grunt, she shoved away the hands restraining her, struggling to rise when those same hands pushed her back down once more.

"Lemme go," she slurred, "lemme go!"

"Faline, stop fighting me!"

Her eyes opened slightly to see her friend leaning over her, grabbing and re-grabbing her wrists each time she tried to evade his hold, a look of concern on his face and worry etched deep in his ocean blue eyes. At once, the discord was cleared from her head. She sighed in relief, giving him a small smile.

"Calm down, please," he pleaded, "Donnie's not finished making sure you're not hurt."

Fae paused, letting him guide her back down onto what she realized was a couch. Her eyes found a strange structure above her, wooden boards and pipes spiraling upward to the ceiling, creating some sort of training fixture. She fully registered what Leo had said.

"Donnie...?"

A harsh light instantly shone into her eyes, making the blonde shy away with a whine of protest.

She heard Leo again. "Really?"

And again, that unfamiliar voice: "Do you want me to make sure she's alright or not? I had to check her pupil dilation for any head traumas."

Cautiously, Fae cracked her eyes open, peering up at another terrapin, definitely not Leo, with a purple mask tied around russet eyes.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, and she caught a glimpse of his diastema as he spoke.

"Been better," she replied, "can I get up now?"

"Is she awake yet?" someone shouted from far-off in a petulant tone.

Leo rolled his eyes discreetly, turning his head to call back, "Yeah."

Fae's ear drums ached, and she whimpered in discomfort.

"Might not want to raise your voice around her for a while," the turtle she assumed was Donnie suggested, "Her hearing is still temperamental, at best."

"I'm getting up," Fae said, propping herself up on her elbows and taking in her view of what seemed to be a living room.

Leo shot a questioning glance toward his brother, who hummed his permission and replaced his examination instruments back into a med kit. The blue clad turtle helped Faline into a sitting position, as another turtle bounced into the room.

"Hey, sleepyhead!" The short and energetic newcomer greeted, placing a slice of what vaguely looked like pizza into her hands before she could speak. "Thought you'd be hungry when you woke up."

"Umm..." Fae glanced down at the food. "Are those jellybeans?"

"Bubblegum and watermelon flavored!" he informed, plopping down on the couch.

"I'll pass," she said, handing the pizza back with a hesitant laugh. "But thanks anyway."

The turtle with the orange mask shrugged, devouring the oddly-topped slice himself.

"That's Mikey," Leo mumbled over to her.

Her eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh, Mikey! You're the funny one, right? With the water balloons."

"That's me!" he grinned, giving her a thumbs-up and stating between chews. "Doctor Prankenstein at your service!"

She giggled softly, taking in the sprinkle of freckles across his nose and the baby blue eyes that differed so greatly from Leo's ocean irises. Fae glanced at the turtle making his way out of the living room, his med kit clutched firmly in his olive green hand and a traditional bo staff strapped to his carapace.

"Donatello!" she called after him, making the turtle pausing and meet her eyes. "Thank you, for making sure I was alright."

He was silent for a moment, nodding in appreciation of her gratitude.

"Do you... know what happened?" she questioned reluctantly, lacing her fingers together and praying he'd be able to come up with some brilliant explanation for her memories of the brawl with Connor.

Again, Donnie made no sound for a bit, the gears turning in his head visible through his abnormally brown eyes.

"I'm not sure," he finally said, dashing her hopes swiftly. "Honestly, from what Leo told me, I was sure he had imagined the whole thing. But something is definitely different - your pupils react to extreme changes in light by shrinking and changing shape, mimicking those of a cat. Certain reflexes also trigger you teeth to sharpen. And your... _tattoos_ suggest something out of the ordinary as well."

Fae's lips parted, about to ask what he meant by tattoos, until she caught a glimpse of the skin of her arms. Leopard print, a few shades darker than her alabaster skin tone, ran up along her shoulders, all the way down to her wrists. She'd almost mistaken them for freckles, then remembered how untouched her skin had always looked.

"Tattoos," she repeated, incredulous as she found Leo's and hand and clung to it tightly. Mikey found their interlocked fingers and snickered under his breath. Leo shot him a look that effectively silenced his suppressed chuckles.

"From Leo's accounting of the whole thing, you've seemed to inherit a... morphing ability," Donnie continued, his words measured and slow. He obviously couldn't believe what he was saying either.

"Am I...a mutant?" Despite herself, the last word caught in Fae's throat, making her voice crack.

"No. I ran a test on that too. Whatever is happening to you isn't being caused by mutagen. Your system's devoid of it completely."

The knowledge that her changes didn't land her in a solid, explicable category - mutated or otherwise - didn't give her any more comfort.

"Well, isn't that great news? You're not a freak after all," a querulous voice called out, making Fae start. A fourth turtle, this one with a tattered red mask and a slightly cracked plastron stepped out of the shadows to squint almost accusingly at the blonde.

"Raphael," she realized aloud.

"If you were a freak, we'd definitely know," Raph said, not bothering to confirm her observation. "You'd have a tail and fur, instead of a few little leopard spots. Rest assured, you're not like us."

His biting tone set her on edge. "I definitely don't think you guys are freaks, if that's what you're implying. 'Mutant' and 'freak' aren't synonymous to me."

His unwavering scowl remained. "Why are you here?"

She let her eyes fall to the floor, nervous now under his advertent gaze. "Leo brought me."

Raph's green eyes flitted to her hand still in the leader's. His glare turned even colder. "That doesn't answer my question. Just because Fearless here thinks you're trustworthy doesn't mean crap to me. So what's your motive?"

"Lay off, bro," Mikey defended, "She's innocent, I swear."

"How do we know that?" the hothead demanded, "The Foot are after her. She's gotta have something in her past to do with them that she isn't telling us about."

"Raph, hang on. Just calm down," Donnie began to say.

"Shut up, D," Raph muttered, about to continue his rant.

"No, you shut up! You're always questioning Leo's choices. He's our leader, he'll decide what's best for us - for all of us!"

"Why don't you go cry over your shrine to April?" the red clad turtle shot back sarcastically, making his brother cry out in anger and indignance.

"You really wanna go there, huh?" Donatello growled, stomping closer and poking at Raph's chest. "You sardonic, contemptuous, cynical-"

"Enough!" Leonardo boomed, rising up and pushing the two apart, standing between them.

Mikey carefully scooted closer to Fae, mumbling, "For the record, Donnie's head over shell for this girl April who ended up choosing this other-"

"Mikey!" Donnie interrupted, looking over at him with a horrified look.

Mikey was silent for a moment more, until he whispered again, "And Raph's not sure about you being here, 'cause the last time Leo brought a girl here, she ended up betraying-"

"Michelangelo," Leo cut him off, his eyes stern and warning. Fae nudged the lively turtle with her elbow, signaling for him to stop talking.

Donatello sighed, his shoulders slumping as the fury left him, replaced by deep contrition.

"I'll... be in my lab," he said, sullenly walking into the vast adjoining garage and shutting the heavy steel doors behind him.

The pall that followed his absence was apprehensive and uncomfortable.

"Some family meeting that was," Fae tried to lighten the mood halfheartedly.

"Be quiet," Raph said angrily, making her shrink back into the couch cushions.

"You do _not_ tell her to be quiet," Leo asserted, stepping closer to Raphael. "You have a problem, deal with me. Leave Fae out of it."

Raph gritted his teeth. "If the same thing happens that did last time-"

"It won't."

Raph eventually tore his incensed gaze away, stomping over to a more secluded part of the lair, throwing open a door and calling, "I saw right through Karai, Leo. And I see right through her too." He gestured to Fae. "I want her out."

The door slammed, Raphael disappearing behind it. Leonardo ran his hand down his face, about to apologize for his brothers' conduct, but Fae raised a hand to stop him.

After another moment of silence, Leo finally spoke. "Karai. She'll know what's going on."

Every time the name was mentioned, Fae's nerves were set on edge. "Who is she?"

"An old friend," he replied with a mirthless laugh, "She warned me to protect you. And we're gonna find out why."

"Sweet!" Mikey cheered, "A mission!"

"Great. I'm coming with you," Fae decided.

Before Leo could argue, the air behind Fae shifted. A sudden breeze of movement blew her hair forward, and an even voice replied, "I do not think that a wise choice on your part, Miss Derrickson."

Fae craned her neck up to stare. Low and behold, an anthropomorphic rat smiled kindly down at her, one hand resting on a green, crystalline staff, the other thoughtfully stroking his goatee.

"I believe we have much to discuss," Master Splinter reflected, his mahogany eyes drifting to the room behind him, shielded by traditional Japanese screens, "My son has told me much about you."


	19. Restarting

_Brat._  
 _You better wait until school ends._  
 _You don't leave unless I say you can._  
 _Useless._  
 _Disappointment._  
 _You will never leave._  
Faline gasped, screaming as she shot upright on her air mattress and threw her hands forward in an attempt to protect herself. Leo caught her arms and forced them down, moving out of the way of her legs as she kicked and tried to free herself. Her blonde hair flew about her face, her lips drawn tightly shut as she struggled. Leonardo remained silent, his eyes flicking tiredly around his bedroom, trying not to think about the blissful sleep he was missing out on as Fae eventually came to her senses.  
"Did I hurt you?" was the first thing out of her mouth, her face pale and her platinum strands sticking to her cheeks with a sheen of cold sweat.  
"No," he replied, releasing her hands and yawning. "But it's the third time tonight you've woken up."  
She ran her shaky fingers through her hair. "I know. Maybe I should go sleep on the couch-"  
"No. You're staying here. I don't want you hurting yourself."  
"Leo, I'll be fine," she responded, "It's not like I'm gonna... m-morph in my sleep or something."  
As she said it, Fae's eyes flicked toward the leopard spots now dotting her shoulders and arms.  
"You can never be too careful," Leo said, idly pulling the blankets closer around her. "You morphed a few days ago and nearly wrecked the entire lair."  
"No. You need sleep," she argued, ignoring his reasoning and pushing the sheets off. "I'm sleeping in the living room."  
"Fae, please-"  
His words didn't reach her in time, and she stumbled to her feet, instantly regretting it when the quick movement made the room spin. The slowly-ebbing anxiety from her dream returned in full effect, combining with the vertigo to create a wave of nausea. A voice from one of Leo's brothers called out, "Hey! We're trying to sleep! Keep it down!", adding to the confusion of her dizziness. She dashed out of the room, her skin now twice as pale and a hand clapped over her mouth. Fae slammed the door shut once she reached the bathroom, listening to the resulting bang echoing through the lair and lifting the kid just in time to empty the meager contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl.  
Faline panted as she wiped the bile from the corner of her mouth, finding there was nothing else for her body to regurgitate other than sour remnants, and sat back with a small whimper of defeat. She stared over at the door, hearing a multitude of footsteps hurrying in her direction. Her eyes shut, hyper-aware ears picking up the conversation occurring outside the bathroom.  
"I don't know, she just ran out."  
"This isn't good - night terrors are typical perhaps with abuse victims, but I have no adequate experience with psychology to determine a proper treatment. And the additional nausea must be another symptom of her anxiety."  
"Screw psychology. Just get her to quit yelling! I can _not_ be the only one annoyed with her screaming every night."  
"Have a heart, dude. She's gone through a lot. I know what to do - I'll make her some food!"  
"I really don't see how giving her food poisoning would help her situation, Mikey."  
"Hey!"  
Faline's eyes flashed open, her pupils momentarily feline as her eyelids lifted. She let a shallow breath escape her lips, her fingertips finding and mapping the minuscule cracks and bumps in the tile. She counted to twenty evenly, running through different languages in her head to try and distract herself. A piece of her hair fell into her eyes as she rocked back and forth, and pushed it away in annoyance.  
She realized this wasn't normal.  
No part of her life was normal anymore.  
But these recurring dreams about her life before living at the lair were getting really old, really fast. She was completely ready to move on and begin a life for herself, but apparently her subconscious wasn't quite prepared to release the hoards of suppressed thoughts and emotions she'd harbored over the years.  
 _This is ridiculous,_ she thought, _I'm safe. Leo isn't gonna let anything happen to me - he said so himself! So why the hell can't I move on?!_  
The back of her head thudded gently against the wall, her ears still picking up bits and pieces of the bickering turtles outside. She allowed her memory to drift back to a few days ago, remembering her conversation with Leo's sensei after first arriving to the lair.

"Your path has not been easy," he had observed, kneeling across from her beneath the vibrant tree while she tried to take in her surroundings, "and I fear your difficulties are not yet at an end."  
Her eyes found him, and she nodded in agreement.  
"Leonardo has grown close to you. He has told me countless times of your refusal of his help in the matter with your brother. Collin, was it?"  
"Connor." She warmed, embarrassed that her friend had talked so frequently about her.  
"You must understand this, Faline," the rat said, searching her eyes' expression, "My son cares for his friends and family greatly. He is willing to sacrifice anything - perhaps even his life - for his brothers and his clan. And you as well, I'd assume."  
The thought of him risking his life just for her well-being - the panic she felt when Connor had pressed that gun to his head, the sound of the pulled trigger still reverberating in her head - made her shiver.  
"Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo have been trained to protect themselves. They no longer require his constant protection." Splinter paused. "I have seen the way he looks at you. He will not hesitate to defend you. You must learn to defend yourself, so the need for his intervention is not required."  
Her blush deepened. _What does he mean, he sees the way he looks at me? How does he look at me?_ All she could do was nod once more.  
"The Foot Clan, as I am told, has an interest in you. I am willing to begin training you in ninjutsu, and hone your abilities to allow your mental state to remain constant during your... morphing."  
Her thoughts remained jumbled, the master's words echoing amongst the train wreck inside her head.  
"Then let's get started," she finally said, meeting Splinter's gaze with renewed determination.

A knock on the door jolted Fae back to the present.  
"Fae?" Leo's voice called hesitantly.  
"I'm fine," she called back.  
Was she?  
Some ninja clan was after her.  
She had inexplicably gained shape-shifting capabilities.  
Her nightmares were riddled with shadows of the past, with memories of carefully-concealed bruises and words that seeped into her like irrepressible poison.  
Fae's long hair fell across her face, tickling her nose and making her sigh in irritation. Her fingers deftly stroked the blonde strands, and another memory itched at the back of her mind.  
Her mom's hair had always been long. Tamara had always loved the way it swayed in the breeze, cascaded down her back in luscious curls. After the accident, Fae had sworn not to cut her own hair, remembering how much her mother had loved the natural length and wave.  
She wondered what Tamara would think of her now, sitting in a bathroom beneath the streets of New York City, recovering from her own brother's abuse.  
Fae's eyes hardened. _No. No more looking back. No more wishing things were different. No more thinking about what could've happened._  
She tugged at the ends of her hair, and something new surged up inside her.  
 _I'm starting over._  
And just like that, she was on her feet, rummaging through her toiletries bag. Her heart skipped a beat when she extracted the small pair of scissors. Fae's eyes traveled up to the mirror, taking in her dismal reflection. The leopard print decorating her upper body. Her form thin, nearing scrawny. Her hair covering half her face, but failing to obscure the fading bruise on her forehead.  
 _No more fear,_ she thought as she reached up poised the scissors over her blonde strands.  
 _No more hiding_ , she said to herself as the locks fell onto the counter.  
 _I'm starting over._  
She gazed at herself again. The cut was choppy and unruly, but it was so different from the usual drab and ordinary look she used to sport that she decided it would do. Her hair fell just below her chin, loose and carefree. It bounced slightly any time she moved.  
Another knock on the door. "Fae, please come out."  
Raph spoke as she swept the rest of the hair into the trash bin. "Leave her. She can stay in there all night, for all I care. As long as she quits the screaming."  
Fae opened the door, peering individually at each of the brothers. They gawked at the new haircut; Mikey grinning like it was the best hairstyle ever, Donnie puzzled at her choice to do a complete makeover at 2 AM, Raph even more piqued to discover he'd wasted sleep over this. And Leo... Leo just gaped at Fae like this was the first time he'd laid eyes on her.  
"I'm going to bed," she proclaimed quietly, tucking her hair away from her face and heading back toward the bedroom.


	20. Rebelling

Sweat beaded on Faline's forehead, her short hair out of her face with a black headband as she faced Master Splinter again.

"Concentrate," he told her, scanning her form for minute errors once she'd lowered into a stance. "Focus on your breathing; force your body into a complete state of calm as you transform."

Fae nodded, allowing her eyes to shut, summoning the energy she needed for the next step. The telltale burst of dulled pain shot up her spinal cord, making her muscles tense in anticipation of what was to come. She exhaled slowly, feeling her limbs begin to change, her skin prickling as her alabaster skin tone was replaced by golden fur. Her honed focus was quickly thrown for a loop as her energy burned quick, and she observed the odd feeling of her ligaments turning to jelly and reforming. Her head began to spin, her breaths shaky and beginning to become shallow.

"Faline," the sensei's voice commanded, "breathe."

Fae reopened her eyes, her nose itching with the far-off scents of leftover pizza and the odor of the sewer. Her primal instincts went into overload, noticing the confining walls and sending her into a state of paranoia. She wobbled on her large paws, growling in frustration as she struggled to regain balance. She realized her hyperventilation and began to breathe more evenly.

"Good," Splinter commented, "Crouch into an attack stance."

She obeyed, her head swimming with the effort it took to control her animalistic nature and do as she was told.

"Now, pounce."

His words blared in her ears, making her snarl. She willed herself to hone in on the practice dummy in front of her, leaping toward it...

And then hissing in pain as she landed on the floor, her focus all but disintegrated and her body already in the midst of retro-transformation. She panted, wiping the perspiration from her brow and standing before the master.

"Yamē," he announced, "That is enough for today. You are coming along quite nicely, my student."

She huffed, bowing humbly to her teacher, removing her headband and ruffling her hair so the locks settled in a casual and carefree style as she strode out of the dojo.

A tape playing some anime rerun still droned on the television in the living room. The pool of water a few yards away lapped at its concrete barriers. Mikey was currently perfecting his skateboarding skills, using the training fixture as his own personal skate park. Raphael was most likely cooped up in his room, refusing to be in the presence of the girl 'invading his home' unless absolutely necessary. Donnie was definitely still in the laboratory, skulking over another contraption.

Faline found the leader of the brothers leaned against one of the pillars flanking the lair's entrance, his ocean blues darting between Mikey's varial heel flips, Raph's closed door, and the snippets of Donnie he caught as the genius labored. Leo's katanas peeked over the edge of his carapace, his belt newly stocked with shurikens concealed in the imperceivable pockets, the crevices of his knee and elbow pads inevitably containing other weapons.

"So, when are we leaving for Shredder's lair?" she asked nonchalantly, relaxing beside him and crossing her arms.

His eyes moved to her for an instant, before he jutted his chin in the direction of the others. " _We_ are leaving in a few minutes. _You_ are staying here."

His direct order startled her. "Excuse me? I'm coming with you."

"Fae," he began immediately, making it obvious he'd prepared for this conversation beforehand, "you've barely spent a week training with Master Splinter."

"I know I don't know how to perfectly punch a dude in the face." Fae rolled her eyes. "But I still have my morphing. I can-"

"You can only stay in that form for a few minutes," he corrected, pushing himself away from the pillar and waving his youngest brother down. "And your fighting skills aren't nearly efficient enough for me to even consider you going."

Fae planted her hands on her hips, staring Leo down with a cocked brow. "Excuse me, I can help. This patrol is about finding out why this is happening to me, after all." She gestured to the amulet around her neck.

"This isn't about you," a voice from across the room called, "it's about finding out what else the Shredder is planning."

Leo hesitated. "...Actually, Raph she's kinda r-"

"We weren't talking to you, Raph," she replied icily, facing Leo again and continuing, "and I want to help. The least I can do after all you've done for me is-"

"You don't have to repay us, dudette!"

Fae gasped, spinning around and flinging a fist forward, feeling her teeth sharpen to points in preparation to morph. Mikey erupted into laughter, dodging her punch with ease.

"Sore o teishi suru!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "Watashi o tasukemashou! Watashi wa tohō mo nai koto o chikau."

"Anata wa taizai shite imasu," Leo asserted, not realizing he had switched tongues as well.

Fae groaned in frustration, flopping down onto the couch and folding her arms across her chest, sulking in her simmering anger. Mikey, totally oblivious to the argument practically skipped over to the laboratory. "Donnie! You got those thing-a-ma-jigs ready yet?"

"They're not thing-a-ma-jigs," Donnie corrected, "They're keys to Shredder's lair. You said we were splitting up, right Leo?"

Fae watched out of her periphery as Donatello handed Leo and Raph the identical keys, pretending to become enthralled with the horribly dubbed show.

"Here's the plan," the blue clad turtle announced, "Raph and Mikey enter in first, distract Shredder and his henchmen for as long as possible. Donnie and I will sneak in and find Karai. Maybe then we'll get finally get some useful information." Fae looked up, watching Leo place his key into the back pocket of his belt. "Let's move."

He watched his team jump the turnstiles, about to follow them.

"Leo, wait!" Fae sprung to her feet, hurrying over and catching his hand.

He looked over his shoulder at her, confused at her sudden change of emotion. Fae sighed, tugging on his hand and getting him to face her. She looked down at their interlocked fingers, before she rushed forward and tackled him into a hug. Leo blinked, looking down at her, a faint blush beginning to dust his face.

"Be careful, okay?" she murmured, smiling innocently up at him.

"I'll be fine," he stammered, "Just a...another mission..."

She smiled, her sky blue eyes holding a secretive glow. "I know. Just don't be too heroic. You can't protect your brothers from everything."

She gave his cheek a chaste kiss before turning and sauntering back to the couch. Leo stood motionless for a moment, beet red and rendered speechless. Eventually, he advanced toward the subway tunnel, disappearing and leaving the lair in complete silence.

Fae looked up once he'd gone, smirking and pulling out Leo's key from behind her back.

"You can't protect _me_ from everything," she amended quietly.

 ** _Translations:_**

 ** _Faline: Stop that! Let me help! I swear I won't get in the way._**

 ** _Leo: You're staying._**


	21. Sneaking

"What do you mean, you don't have it?" Donnie cried.

"I must've dropped it on the way here," Leo apologized, coaxing his brother over to the lock, "You can crack the combination, can't you?"

"That's not my point," Donnie countered, crouching to begin prying apart the security system. "We don't know how long Raph and Mikey will be able to hold off Shredder's goons. We're running out of time to talk to Karai – which I _still_ don't understand why we're trusting her-"

"Because I said so." Leo rolled his eyes.

"—and now, someone might find that key and have direct access to Shredder's lair!"

"No one in this city knows the Foot Clan exists, let alone the location of their headquarters."

Donnie frowned in silent disagreement, tongue beginning to stick out the corner of his mouth as he delved into the complex mess of wires and gears inside the electronic lock.

"I'm in," he muttered as the door swung open, unable to stop the triumphant gap-toothed grin that spread across his face.

Leo nodded, unsheathing his katanas and leading his brother into the labyrinth of hallways inside the old church, his eyes darting between the various doors they passed until he came upon one with '裏切り者' sloppily painted across it in red.

"This is it," he crept forward and tried the knob. It didn't budge. "Damn."

Donnie's brow furrowed. "I don't recognize this."

"It's her room," Leo explained quickly, gesturing for the genius to pick the lock.

"How would you...?" Donnie's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Wait a sec. All those solo missions you took last year? You... you were meeting her. Talking to her!"

"You think I was going to let her go without a fight?" Leo snapped, "She belongs with the Hamato Clan. No matter what she told us, I know this isn't where she's meant to stay."

"Yeah, but why-"

"I wasn't going to give up. My hope that she'd come around wasn't completely gone yet. I couldn't bring myself to stop the meetings, not for a while." Leo shot him a subtle glare. "You should be able to understand, of all people. Hanging onto something you know won't last."

Donatello was stunned into silence, stepping back with eyes full of hurt. Immediately, Leo regretted his words. Too soon, bringing up Donnie's heartbreak, and on top of it, he'd used it to defend his own wrongdoings. But it was true that both brothers had experienced some form of the same pain. The only difference was that Leo had found a way to mend, whereas Donnie remained completely infatuated with April from afar.

In fact, the moment he'd met Faline, Leo realized he'd forgotten all about his fascination with Karai.

 _Faline,_ he thought again, and his heart was set in motion, thinking about his encounter with the blonde earlier.

 _Faline,_ he repeated her name in his mind, remembering how his cheek had tingled ten minutes after she'd pressed her lips to his skin.

 _Faline._ His stomach dropped, his memory traveling back to where her arms had been thrown around him, where her hands had rested while she embraced him.

Near his belt.

Right by the hidden pouch sewn into the leather.

Conveniently near where the key had been concealed.

"Oh no," he whispered frantically, glancing over at Donnie. "We need to find Karai. And then find Fae. Now."

"Fae? But we left her back home..." Donatello paused, registering Leo's words fully. "No. She's not foolish enough to – she couldn't have possibly...!" He rubbed his temples. "She stole the key, didn't she?"

Leo nodded, mumbling, "God, I'm such an idiot!"

"Yep. You are."

Donnie and Leo whirled around to face Karai, standing in her doorway.

"Karai," Don breathed, "We need to t-"

The next second, the intelligent ninja was on the floor, Karai's tanto poised at his throat.

"What are you doing?!" Leo knocked her sword away, shoving her away from Donnie.

"What are _you_ doing?" she barked back, sweeping a leg under his feet and knocking him back. Leo glowered, until she leaned forward and whispered, "The camera, stupid."

Her eyes flicked to the ceiling, where a small lens swiveled toward the commotion.

"That's new," he muttered, playing along and pinning her against the opposite wall. "When did that happen?"

"Right after I paid you guys that little visit," Karai sighed, pretending to struggle against him. "Has she gained that morphing ability yet?"

Leo hesitated, surprised and then piqued that she'd known about Fae's new inclinations. "Yes. Thanks, by the way, for warning us about the whole leopard shape-shifting thing. Not."

She pushed him away, clashing their blades together. "I would have told you, but I got a bit sidetracked by the painful electrocution," she retorted sarcastically, pointing at the shock collar around her neck.

Donnie unsheathed his bo, whacking the tanto out of her grasp. "So what does this mean for Fae? Why is she morphing? What does this have to do with Shredder? How-"

An expert punch to his plastron shut him up. "Not really the best time for a Q and A!" she cried, turning back to Leo.

The leader rolled his eyes, pulling out a shuriken and throwing it in Karai's direction. She easily dodged, and the throwing star whizzed upward, embedding itself in the camera and making it crash to the floor, wires sparking.

"Start talking," he ordered, "we've got two minutes, tops."

"Until Shredder's yes-men get here, or until your little girlfriend shows up?" Karai set a hand on her hip.

The notion startled him. "What? She's not my girlfriend."

"Not my point. How could you be so stupid as to-"

"Will you cut it out? I get it, I'm an idiot. Now answer Don's questions. Why is this happening to Fae?"

Karai slumped, her rebelliousness deflating. "All I know is it's having to do with some prophecy. I heard Shredder and Tiger Claw talking about it the night the Foot attacked Faline."

"Is her ability something we need to be worried about?"

"Depends how you look at it. On one hand, the shape-shifting has given her incredible fighting advantages." Karai's arm twitched, and then transformed momentarily into a serpent's head for emphasis. "On the other, it's made her and interest for Shredder, and depending on her resiliency, she might have trouble controlling her animalistic instincts."

"Which brings us to the next question," Leo continued, "Why is Shredder so interested in her?"

"Again, the prophecy. Something in his past has made him anxious to eliminate her – and others like her – as a threat. Originally, he might've tried to sway her to his side, but now that she's rooming with you, I'd say killing her would be his more likely course of action."

Leo ran a hand down his face, trying to process how much, and yet how little she'd just told him. "And these...others? You told me we had to protect others like her, too."

This time, she hesitated. "It's... difficult to explain."

"Nothing you've explained so far has been easy to take in," Donnie pointed out.

Karai's front teeth tugged at her blood red bottom lip in sudden apprehension. "The prophecy. If you can get your hands on that, and some other documents Oroku Saki had, that would answer your question."

All three jumped at the sound of a clattering and several angry voices.

"Where's the info?" Leo asked quickly, raising his katanas.

"Not here."

"Then where?!"

Karai had leapt forward before he had even finished, resuming their battling façade and striking him in the temple. Leo crumpled, sucking in a shocked breath when he felt her mutated serpent hand slithering around his throat.

"When Shredder left for America – when he found out Splinter was alive all those years ago, we left in a bit of a hurry," she hissed into his ear, only closing off his airway enough to make him wheeze a bit. "He took only what was completely necessary, and nothing that could be lost and seen by unwanted eyes."

"Let him go!" Donnie protested, rushing forward to defend the leader, promptly smashed back against the wall by Karai's other snake hand.

"Quiet!" she told him, turning her attention back to Leonardo, "The docks. Saturday. At dusk. You can intercept the delivery there."

"Delivery?" Leo rasped.

"Yes, delivery! The shipment of the artifacts and papers from Japan, you idi—"

She was cut off by a parade of thundering footsteps rounding the corner.

"Karai?" a thick Russian accent pierced the air.

"I knew it! I knew the other Turtles would be here!"

Bebop's distinct voice cried out, followed by a shrill squeal of triumph.

"Sorry dudes," Mikey apologized, clinging to Rocksteady's thick leg as the rhino tried to shake him off, "Held 'em off as long as we could."

"What the – what are you doing?!" Raph shouted, spotting the kunoichi's mock chokehold on Leonardo.

"Let my friend go, Karai Saki!"

Leo's eyes widened at the voice behind him, and Karai's snake arm suddenly disappeared. He gulped in a fresh breath of oxygen, twisting to see Fae.

The blonde pulled Karai away by the back of her uniform, unsheathing the nagamaki and pointing the two-foot blade at the space between the ninja girl's brow. Her sky blue irises had turned to ice with anger, framed by her choppy platinum hair.

"Check it out, G! It's one 'a them Freeformers!" the gaudily-dressed warthog of the bunch exclaimed, elbowing Rocksteady. "Man, Shredder's gonna reward us big-time when we bring her in!"

"Not a chance, pig," Fae spat, an unusual poisonous tone seeping into her voice.

"Faline!" Leo cried out, "Get out of here!"

"Dude, when did she get here?" Mikey asked confusedly.

Fae ignored both of them, kicking back the kunoichi and rushing toward both massive enemy mutants, actually managing to catch them off guard and making a small gash on each of their arms.

"Are you crazy?!" Raph yelled, yanking Fae back as the rhinoceros and pig roared in pain.

"You got death wish, little girl?" Rocksteady bellowed, stomping his enormous feet angrily.

"Seriously, is everyone in your clan nuts?" Karai muttered under her breath to Leo.

"Faline, stop!" Leo pleaded, scrambling to his feet and pulling her away from the scene, "We need to get you out of—"

"No!" She screamed, wrenching her hand away. "I can take care of myself!"

"No, you can't!"

"It's alright, dawg. Let the little shape-shifter think she has a chance against us," Bebop snorted, charging forward.

"Bring it on, freak!" Faline shouted back, running full speed toward the adversaries.

Leo realized her intentions a second too late. "Fae, don't you dare—"

Her human body was already morphing. Faline, now in her leopard form, attacked Sterenko and Zeck head-on, raking her claws across their chests and making rivulets of red across their skin. She pounced onto Bebop first, whacking his head against the concrete floor with a swift blow from her large front paw.

Her feline eyes focused in on Rocksteady, clutching his hammer and sickle fearfully, ignoring the Turtles' pleas to stop. Her sharp teeth dug into the tough flesh of his neck, sending him tumbling backwards and nearly crushing Mikey as the cat and rhino struggled. Eventually, Sterenko fell, unconscious, beneath Faline's powerful claws.

"She's going savage," Donnie said, watching the leopard observe its prey with peaked interest, swiping her tongue out over the faint blood stains on her muzzle as she turned back to the five mutants still standing.

"Told you her animosity was something to reckon with." Karai quipped, and Fae's head swiveled to focus on her.

Her cat pupils shrunk in hostility, and in the blink of an eye, Karai was on the floor. Faline roared in her face, and the kunoichi gasped, squeezing her eyes shut and gritting her teeth.

"Fae, STOP!" Leo sprang forward, taking hold of the scruff of her neck and tugging as hard as he could. He definitely could not afford to get Karai killed, on top of the whole fiasco this day had turned out to be.

Fae snarled, whipping around and swinging at the leader, colliding with her target and sending him flying. She had pinned him in an instant, her retractable claws extending into his shoulder and making him cry out in pain.

"Faline," Leo begged, straining away from his friend's mouth full of teeth. "C'mon, come back to me."

His words fell upon deaf ears. Faline's canines glistened as they crept closer and closer to Leonardo's face, a snarl escaping her throat as she raised her other set of claws to finish him off...

 **Translation:**

 **裏切り者** **: Traitor**


	22. Arguing

The laboratory was silent, despite the five teenagers within that would normally cause uncontrollable noise. Raph's black eye wasn't fully concealed by his mask, the swelling obvious beneath the fabric. Mikey iced his neck, wincing each time he had to turn to watch his third oldest brother tending to the team's wounds. Donatello was pretty beat up himself, bruises visible on his arms and legs where he'd received impact during the talk with Karai. Leo was by far the most injured. Blood still oozed from the puncture wounds in his shoulder, and though he made an impressive effort to hide it, he grimaced each time Donnie pierced his skin with the needle to make another stitch.

Faline watched the brothers, completely unscathed and unable to make sense of her emotions. No one had spoken since entering the lair, though Raph hadn't hesitated on the hasty car chase home to give Fae an earful, complete with angry curses and the harsh Brooklyn accent that occasionally crept into his voice when he got particularly riled.

Of course, she felt she deserved it. Watching Leo's cringing while Donnie dabbed at the injuries she'd inflicted with disinfectant, her heart ached. How could she? How in the world could she have harmed him — her only true friend, as of yet? Her stomach twisted into knots, remembering her vision narrowing and the panic that had arisen when she realized she no longer had control.

Fae also felt a twinge of exhilaration, of pride to have finally mustered the courage to rebel against what she'd been told (even if the person she'd disobeyed was Leonardo). So she'd broken a couple of rules — if it wasn't for her, she reasoned, the Turtles would be much worse for wear now. Had her defeat of both Bebop and Rocksteady completely slipped their minds? As for Karai... well, she had it coming, holding Leo hostage like that, even if it had all been an act, as Fae had later been told.

She was nervous too. Undoubtedly, a lecture about her actions was fast approaching by the leader, and she would be reduced to a pile of apologies and regret, all her pride and triumph forgotten as she tried to reconcile. Why? She wasn't apologetic or contrite. She was confident that despite her small mishap, her presence during the mission hadn't been detrimental. Hell, Fae was convinced she'd helped to defend her friends!

But seeing Leo glance at her every so often, ocean blues full of disbelief, his mouth set in a thin line of disappointment, made her heart sink. She'd tricked him. Fae had gone behind his back, and she knew how vexed he got by being fooled.

She hated to cause him any feeling other than tranquility. She thought to back to that silent vow she'd made to never cause him strife (these damned inner promises were going to be the death of her), after feeling his agitated energy all those weeks ago in the marma she'd performed. And Mikey might have given her a small low-down on his history with Karai.

How he'd been so adamant to convert her to the Hamato Clan.

How betrayed he'd felt when she'd vanished, back to the Shredder.

How long he hadn't spoken — weeks, according to his younger brother — once he was sure all hope of Karai's return was gone.

How much happier he'd become since his and Fae's paths had crossed.

Faline steeled herself before her guilt got the best of her. She felt she was right in her choices. She wouldn't — no, couldn't give up her sureness, no matter how much her decisions were now eating at her. No matter how much she'd want to give in to Leo's imploring blue eyes that seemed to engulf her in a sea of serenity. No matter how distracted she'd be by his personality reflected in his impressive physique — lean and perfectly proportional with gentility, muscles strong and sure, ready to defend her well being or envelop her in an embrace.

No matter how much the very thought of Leonardo made her resolve crumble, Fae couldn't let her stance in the matter degrade, especially when she'd only just gained the courage to stand for herself.

"Fae."

She jolted, her eyes re-focusing on Leo, who now stood in front of her, arms crossed.

"Hi," she responded.

It was impossible for Leo to be flat out angry with her. Even with this frustration burning inside him, he was still distracted by her sky blue eyes, her slender face, her lithe form. He forced himself back on track.

"I need to talk to you."

"Go on."

Perfect. She was going to make him reprimand her in front of Raph, Donnie, and Mikey. He glanced at his brothers, making an attempt to coax them out of the vicinity, but they remained still, their eyes glued to the two of them in apprehension. He sighed.

"You went against what I said."

She hummed in affirmation, making Leo grit his teeth subtly. These one-and-two-syllable sentences weren't cutting it for him. He needed more out of her than these short responses.

"Why?" he continued, drawing out the word to emphasize the frustration in his tone.

"Because I wanted to help. The Foot got me into this mess, Leo, and they're gonna pay for it."

"Pay for _what_? You have the ability to morph into a leopard. You got attacked by them _one time_. What kind of grudge could you possibly be holding against them?"

"Aren't their wrongdoings reason enough?" Fae shot back.

"No! They're not reason enough to put yourself in—"

"In danger? Save it, Leo. Without me, you and your brothers would have been at the mercy of those two mutants!" Fae cried.

" _At the_ _mercy of them_?" he scoffed, throwing up his hands in faked adoration. "Oh, gee! Good thing the _ninjas_ with a _lifetime_ of experience were saved just in time by the cat girl with a few days worth of training!" His hands dropped, as did his snide humor and lilting, mimicking tone. "Without you, we would've gotten the information we needed, without having to worry about those two knuckleheads in the first place."

Fae, folding her hands in front of her and leaning forward in mock interest. "I hardly think I was anything but helpful."

There it was again. That unusually ornery attitude Leo was so unaccustomed to. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"You stole that key from me, Faline," he muttered through gritted teeth, "and because of that, we barely had enough time to reach Karai, let alone speak with her at length about... everything. Now we have to arrange _another_ plan for _another_ infiltration at the docks because of—"

"The docks?" Fae's laugh lacked its usual airy carefreeness. "Oh _gosh_ , Leo, I'm sorry you have to sneak into the least guarded location in New York City. I thought you could handle such a small task, being _ninjas_ and all."

The sarcasm practically dripped from her lips, it was so thick in her voice. She hurled his prior statement back into his face relentlessly, sparking an unbridled frustration deep within him.

"The Foot Clan will be there! We don't know where these documents are or how many we need to sneak out!" His voice rose as his patience wore thin. "You put my entire team in jeopardy because of this cockiness you've let get in the way of your common sense!"

" _Cockiness_?" Fae asked, standing up and stomping toward him, making Leo resist the urge to step back. "What, I'm cocky now, just because I've finally grown a backbone?"

"No," he replied, "you're cocky because now, you think that just because you can turn into some predatory creature, you can bat your eyelashes at me and get your way!"

Fae was stunned into silence, finally at a loss for any argument.

"And if you don't wanna follow orders, that's okay, right?" It was all pouring out, as unyielding as hers now, but there wasn't an off switch, wasn't a valve to stop the stream of anger-fueled words. "Just use a little charm and get away with it! Lie a little here, steal a bit there, and just like that, you're calling the shots!" He leaned in close, his restraint gone. "I've got news for you, Derrickson. As long as you're on my team, you listen to _me_."

She sighed in disbelief and disdain, but it didn't hide the glossy sheen of tears that had begun to coat her eyes. "If this is what being on your team is, I don't want any part of it."

Leo opened his mouth to argue, until he realized what she said. "What?"

Fae shoved him back as best she could, her usually soft touch that would send a thrill through him turned harsh with her anger. "Get away from me."

Okay, not the intended reaction he'd expected. "I...I only meant—"

"I've known you long enough to know you mean what you say, Leo," she cut him off, brushing past him and storming out of the lab.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" he cried, throwing his hands in the air with disgruntlement and tailing her out into the living room, closely followed by his brothers, still hanging on every word.

"You've made it clear that I'm not suited for being part of this team," she retaliated, heading down the hallway adjoining the bedrooms.

"That's not—Faline, you're reading into this way too—"

She wasn't finished. "And you know what? Maybe I agree with you! 'Cause you know what else? I just realized I never got around to buying those plane tickets."

Leo's breath hitched in his throat, and he stopped in his tracks while she continued into his room. "You... you don't have the money...do you?" he mumbled, confounded.

"Connor has it." Fae said, "I'll go get it from him."

"Faline, you're acting crazy—"

"I don't care, Leo," she shot back, tossing her backpack out into the open, followed by her shoebox of memorabilia as she challenged, "I'm doing what I want. Try and stop me."

This wasn't the Fae he knew. The Fae he knew would've listened to reason, and would've taken everyone else into account with her decision. The Fae he knew would've been gentle with her words, not shouting them angrily. Leo knew this just wasn't natural for her to act this way. Sure, she was finally standing up for herself, and he was happy that she'd finally built up the self-worth to stand for herself, but this new extreme she'd gone to wasn't the way she normally behaved.

She would've stopped for a moment, given him one of those looks that made him go weak in the knees, perhaps even set her hand on one hip in her classic ' _please, if you have an opinion about this, let's talk about it like civilized people_ ' posture. If that had happened, Leo might have considered letting her leave without a fight.

She wanted to pursue her dreams. Nothing wrong with that, right?

No. This wasn't her pursuing her dreams. This was her lashing out to escape the situation, to escape _him_.

Leo wished a hint of the old Faline would show through — sweet, loving, not-one-ounce-of-anger-in-her-whatsoever Fae, who'd befriended him that stormy evening in the rain with that kindness that he loved... admired... no, found very pleasant.

He certainly didn't _love_ her.

She was his friend.

His only friend.

His best friend.

Who he could never be completely frustrated with, even if she wasn't herself, because he was always enchanted by those blue eyes of hers...

But Leo didn't _love_ Faline.

Right?

He was snapped out of his thoughts by his bedroom door slamming shut, and a riled Fae stomping down the steps and gathering up her belongings. Leo rushed forward, trying to block her exit and buy himself time to talk some sense into her.

"Fae, listen to me. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to hurt your feelings..."

He shut his mouth when she subtly bared her teeth, the tips of her incisors and canines sharpened, warning him to back off.

"Just... leave me alone, Leonardo," she whispered, her voice shaking, her dangerous teeth not distracting him from the tears about to spill from her eyes.

"Faline, please," he begged quietly, reaching out to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. She stepped back, away from his touch.

Fae took a deep breath, maintaining her stiff and straight posture. "I've got news for you, Hamato. I've had enough of taking orders from people. You're standing in my way. Move, or I'll find another way to get out of here."

Leo was numb, unable to do anything except obey. He stepped aside, ocean eyes pleading for her to stop and come back to him.

Fae took another deep breath, adjusting her backpack on her shoulder, clutching her shoebox to her chest and dragging her suitcase behind her, carrying her things up the lair's steps, through the turnstiles, and down the subway tracks, away from the Turtles' abode.

Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael gaped, trying to comprehend the sudden turn of events.

And Leo stood there, staring at the last spot he'd seen her, wondering how he could've screwed up this badly.

He'd failed her.

And he'd never forgive himself for it.


	23. Realizing

_She's gone._

Two words on a mental loop as Leo stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, countless issues of Space Heroes tossed aside, wasted efforts to pass the time before the quickly-approaching mission. He still insisted on retrieving the information Karai had aforementioned, despite the act that Faline was gone.

He still wanted to find some explanation, even if she'd never accept his help again.

The handheld radio on his night stand droned a dismal love song, the singer crooning and whining about the girl he couldn't have.

She'd left last night, the angry fire in her eyes burning all the while. Leo's heart felt like it had been demolished with each step she took away from him. Fae had completely ignored his and his brothers' reasonings. She was going back to her old apartment to retrieve the money her older brother had stolen. Leo wasn't worried about that. Her new abilities and recent fierceness wouldn't be anything Connor could match. This time tomorrow she'd either be hitching a ride out of the city or taking a plane to the furthest destination she could afford.

Leonardo didn't feel grief, or regret, or even the slightest bit of worry. Those feelings had already run their course in the short span of time spent fighting with his friend.

He felt hollow. He felt like Fae had packed every emotion he was capable of feeling into her backpack, captured his very soul in her infinitely blue eyes and taken it with her on the journey away from her old life.

If there was one thing Leo disliked more than anything, it was this feeling that without Faline, his heart didn't beat the same way it did when he was around her.

Flashes of her fled through his mind.

 _Her blonde strands clung to the sides of her face, wet hair sagging across her eyes from the torrent of rain the small shower had become. "I'm Faline."_

He grunted, his hands slamming over his closed eyes, as if the pressure would somehow expel the image of her.

 _"You're...courageous, Leonardo. You're the kindest person I've ever met. You were my friend, when I'd shut everyone else out."_

Friend. That one simple and fatal word that secured that that was all he'd be to her. Well, an ex-friend, now that she was gone.

Leo sneered halfheartedly at the radio's artist, wishing he'd joke on his own lovesick lyrics. He reached over and shut off the radio, no longer in the mood to listen to music.

If only Leo had realized sooner that he wanted so much more than friendship.

He wanted to hold her, and grant her security when she needed it most.

He wanted to delicately brush aside her blonde locks to watch the workings of her mind behind her cerulean orbs.

He didn't care whether she spoke about wondrous happenings or what she had for breakfast, as long as he could appreciate every word she spoke.

Leonardo wanted Fae with him.

All hope of having her was gone now, though. Might as well forget about it.

"Leo?" Mikey peeped his head through his brother's doorway. "Raph says that you said you wanted to leave at 8:00? ...It's 8:30..."

Leo blew out a shuddering breath, nodding and sitting up, gazing at the orange clad turtle with a sense of hollowness, before brushing past him to the living room. His feet worked on autopilot, directing him to the lair's entrance while he prepared to pilfer information for the girl who'd stolen his soul and left him without hope.

Fae took a deep breath, not understanding why she was so jumpy as she clambered down the fire escape, counting the windows she passed and slowing to a stop in front of her old bedroom. Her bags and possessions were stashed behind an air conditioning vent on the roof. She had only a small book bag slung around her, with Chapstick and a half-eaten granola bar therein. She had something else with her, for precautionary measures, but she was almost certain she wouldn't need it.

She'd spent the night at Harvey's. It was almost comical, how fast her old employer had grabbed the nearest frying pan to pay back whoever had 'kicked her out onto the street'. Fae had assured him that it was her choice to leave, she just needed a place to crash before her journey out of the city tomorrow.

She'd left out the bit about not having that money yet. And the bit where she'd been staying with four humanoid turtles and a rodent ninjustu master previously.

She needed to calm down. She couldn't show Connor any fear anymore, if she wanted the money back to get out of here. She'd snuck a peek at Donatello's laptop and printed off the schedule for a bus departing New York. The sheet was safely folded and tucked in her back pocket.

Her excitement was miffed while she clumsily attempted to break in.

 _Man, Leo made this look so easy when he did it._

Her heart stung at the thought of his name.

 _Why am I doing this? I don't want to leave him..._

 _Remember your dream. Remember what you've wanted your whole life! Don't let that get taken away again!_

She finally made it into her old apartment, the room she entered stinking of drugs and alcohol with her absence. Other than the stench, the room was barren. Her bed and other furniture were gone, most likely sold. Fae rolled her eyes, pushing out the door and heading toward the living room, following the strengthening scent of cannabis and Coors Lite. She spotted her brother as she rounded the corner.

Connor's hair was tangled and greasy, desperately in need of a good trim and conditioning. A half-empty beer bottle was clutched in his hand. His jaw and chin sported a thick and unsightly stubble. The sight of him made Fae want to run as fast as she could from him, from this place, from this life she'd once lived.

 _I wish Leo was here... he wouldn't be afraid..._

 _He isn't here. You're on your own. You don't need him._

Faline's sky blue eyes hardened, and she plodded over, darting right in front of the television and watching in satisfaction as his glazed-over expression turned to complete terror for a moment.

"Dammit," he muttered flusteredly, settling back into his recliner and squinting at her, taking in her new appearance. "You changed your hair."

"I want my money back." Her voice was flat, devoid of emotion.

Connor snorted out a laugh, tipping the lip of the bottle up to his mouth and emptying the rest of the alcohol.

"You think I still have that? You think I take money for the hell of it? We needed that cash."

"First of all, yes, I think you'll take anything of mine, 'just for the hell of it'." Fae stalked closer, needing to consciously measure her breaths to keep herself from morphing out of rage then and there. "Second of all, we needed the cash? We, as in you and I, or we, as in you and your druggie squad?"

"Watch your mouth," he reprimanded shortly, making to stand up. His movement jarred her into action. Fae's hand flicked out and grabbed hold of his wrist before he could block her advances, preventing him from walking away and from coming forward to threaten her simultaneously.

"You can't control me anymore," she breathed lowly, "so don't try bossing me around again. I want my money back."

He yanked his arm out of her surprisingly strong grip. "I told you, I don't have it."

"Liar. Where's all the money you got from my bed and dresser? Where's all the money you save up for your drugs?"

"I don't know what you're—"

"Don't even think about denying it." She stepped closer, her pupils shrinking into feline slits beneath her choppy blonde bangs. "Did you forget what happened last time you tried to stop me?"

Connor stiffened, shifting his feet and shoving his hands into his pockets, unwilling to admit his clear and unpredicted disadvantage in the situation. Fallen fought the urge to grin with excitement to finally have the upper hand, and rolled her hands one over the other. "Well?"

He rolled his eyes. "Don't rush me, brat." He turned and trudged toward the hall closet. The small insult still left a mark on her heart, Fae noticed with disgust. She trailed after him, her eyes widening at the multitude of stenches that met her nose when her brother threw the door open.

Connor was definitely not just smoking marijuana. There were packets of white powder, and baggies filled to the brim with multicolored pills, and God, maybe she should've been more observant of her brother. The hoard of drugs was appalling.

A voice in the back of her head told her she'd been naive to think pot alone had caused his personality flip. But the fact she'd been dealing with a full-force drug/domestic amuser hit with a sudden bout of vertigo. Her toes scrunched inside her shoes, trying to claw through the soles onto the floor, to give her some kind of support.

Connor, oblivious to Faline's watchful eyes, reluctantly reached around the cocaine and ecstasy to bring out a few piles of bills, held together with rubber bands. The adrenaline rush began to kick in, seeing all these secrets he'd somehow kept from her, seeing how far gone he really was from the old Connor. Her fingers twitched, needing to find something to keep her grounded, playing with her amulet in an attempt to keep her baser instincts from kicking in for self-defense.

"So, how much did you have?" he asked nonchalantly, like he wasn't moving aside pounds of coke to reach this money he'd hidden, "Can't remember. Was it eight, nine hundred—"

"One thousand two hundred seventy three dollars and thirty nine cents," she interrupted him, her voice verging on shaky.

"Damn, Faline," he muttered in a bit of surprise, trying to hide his nervousness as he counted out the Ben Franklins, "I should've snooped around your room earlier."

"Are... are you kidding me?"

"What? You got quite the savings here. You really could have helped us out."

"You are unbelievable! I was helping out! Who do you think was paying the rent for the past two years?"

He didn't answer, swinging the closet for closed and throwing the money at her, several dollars fluttering to the floor in his haste to avoid the question. "There. There's your money. Now get lost."

Despite the cruelty in his tone, nothing would've made Fae happier at that moment than to obey this one command. But her mind was running ahead of her mouth now, spewing thoughts at him.

"You used me! You made my life a living hell! You hurt me! And you still have the nerve to say I could've done more to help us?!" she shrieked, clutching the bills tighter in her hand, crumpling her savings between her fingers. "You know what, Connor? You're a disgrace. You rake our family's name through the mud, with what you've done since Mom and Dad died. Do you even know how illegal everything in that closet is?"

"You have no right to judge—"

"I can do whatever I want. And right now, you need to hear this," Fae told him, stuffing the money into her bag along with her Chapstick and granola bar already lying at the bottom. "You were going places, Connor. You were going to make them proud. We were going to make them proud. And now look at us."

"Shut up—"

"No! Look at us! I'm standing in front of my brother, the one person I should be able to trust in this world, and I can't wait to get away from you! I was scared of you! Of you, and your words, and your fists, and your drugs. And now... now I'm just done."

Connor looked like he was about to burst, his face red, his form quivering with pent-up anger. "Get out of my house, bitch."

His voice sent a dagger through her heart. She stepped away, a tear slipping down her cheek which she didn't bother to wipe away. He deserved to see the pain he was causing her, that he had been causing her all these eight years. She reached into her bag, pulling out her precautionary measures.

Connor frowned at the T-Phone in her hand. "What the hell is that?"

Fae pressed a button and the screen lit up, still cracked and dim, and she prayed the device was still functional. It had been one of Leo's old phones, residing in Donatello's lab. A number popped up, already dialed and waiting to be sent through.

She'd stolen it.

She felt terrible for it.

She hit the button on the T-Phone once more, raising it to her ear. A voice on the other end promptly answered.

"911, what's your emergency?" the authoritative dispatcher questioned.

"I'm calling to report a stash of illegal drugs in Apartment 35D at 1154 Houston Street—"

"No, STOP!" Connor cried out, lunging toward Fae. She stepped aside, her enhanced senses already having predicted his actions.

"Ma'am, can you hear me?" the dispatcher asked, voice raised above the shouting, "What's your name?"

"Anonymous tip," she rasped, sprinting down the hallway to her old bedroom, heart pounding and aching at the same time. "Connor Derrickson is the one in ownership of—"

"SHUT UP!" Connor roared, barreling in and being met with the sight of his sister climbing out the window, jabbering to the dispatcher all the while. He leapt forward, grabbing at her legs as she struggled through the small space, groping at the phone still held to her ear.

Fae panicked, twisting around and nailing Connor directly between the eyes with the heel of her sneaker, gasping in shock when he hit the floor.

"And he's also responsible for the physical abuse of his sister, Faline Derrickson," she whispered, watching his unconscious form on the floor for a split second before hanging up and tossing the device back in her bag.

Before Fae could think clearly, she was back on the roof, the wind making goosebumps ripple across her skin and blowing her messy blonde hair back with the promise of an oncoming storm. Storm clouds gathered overhead, and for a moment she thought it had begun to sprinkle, until she realized the water running down her cheeks were tears, not rain drops.

Memories she'd shoved to the back of her mind came back in startling detail. Faline's mother, holding her in a protective embrace, cooing soothing words and assuring her it would be alright. Her father, smiling as he walked in the door to be greeted with his daughter running up to him with excited blue eyes and an innocent, youthful grin. Connor, laughing at her silly antics while they both danced around the living room, siblings with nothing to feel for each other but love.

The more Fae delved into her remembrances, the more pain she felt. The police officer at the front door that dreadful day she discovered her parents would never be returning home. The first blow she took from her brother, after he'd come home from his very first experience with alcohol. Her anxiety walking into the kitchen at Harvey's for the first time to beg for a job.

Faline's breath caught in her throat as she choked back a sob, her knees weakening under the weight of eight years of sadness. More memories pushed their way to the front of her brain. Fixing her hair over the marks on her jaw to hide the signs of abuse from peers, and skulking through everyday life, and...

 _Leo whirled around to face the next ninja, face hardened in concentration. For the first time, their eyes locked, him finally noticing her fear, her realizing she had no reason to fear him._

Her crying stopped, and she clutched at the amulet around her neck, the necklace itself reminding her of...

 _"And...I think this is yours." He opened his fist, revealing Faline's necklace in his palm. She smiled ever-so-slightly, their fingers brushing momentarily as she took her pendant from his hand._

Fae glanced around the rooftop, her eyes roaming to the ledge where...

 _Leo reached forward to catch her shoulder, stopping Fae's worried pacing and nodding in understanding. "Okay," He said, "But I'm not letting you get hurt."_

Now everything her vision snagged on reminded her of him. Her treasured shoebox peeking out of her backpack...

 _"My dad swerved and hit black ice, and... the car rolled... the doctors said there was nothing they could do..." Leo reached forward, laying a comforting hand on Fae's shoulder, her mourning emanating in waves off of her while he empathized._

This very spot where she stood, thinking back to that night when he'd convinced her...

 _Before Fae could say anything, he'd grabbed her hand, pulling her to the edge of the roof. Again, the feelings exploding in her chest were imperceptive: shock, even more worry, confusion, nervousness... giddiness. She couldn't seem to tear away from the sight of their interlocked hands - his green fingers wrapping around and lacing through her own, her hand pale and weak in contrast with his strong and comforting hold._

Fae realized with a start that she was smiling. Moments before, she'd been bawling, her broken family and frightening memories overwhelming her, and the next, she was breaking out into a nearly idiotic grin, thinking about her one and only...

...Friend?

 _No matter how much the very thought of Leonardo made her resolve crumble, Fae couldn't let her stance in the matter degrade, especially when she'd only just gained the courage to stand for herself._

Her trip down Memory Lane took a slight turn for the worst.

 _Fae took a deep breath, maintaining her stiff and straight posture. "I've got news for you, Hamato. I've had enough of taking orders from people. You're standing in my way. Move, or I'll find another way to get out of here."_

"I...I'm such an idiot," she croaked to herself.

Who was she kidding? Leo had made her life better — hell, the best it had been since her parents died. She'd thrown it all away, over some stupid confidence issues?! She wanted to scream with frustration at her actions.

How could she? Fae had pushed away their friendship so foolishly, when perhaps there had been hope it could turn into something more.

She wanted it to turn into something more. She felt an insatiable desire to be with him again, to stand by his side...

Faline stared out over the bustling expanse that was her hometown, still restless even as the daylight began to drain. Her sky blue eyes, the same color as the harbor now in the dim light, scanned the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, just a few blocks from the rooftop she stood on now.

The ocean...

The docks...

"Leonardo," she breathed, remembering his plans to storm the Shredder's shipping supply tonight.

 _He's not going,_ she thought, _Why would he? I'm not even worth the risk anymore to..._

Fae stiffened at the slight shift of movement atop a shipping container on the docks. She squinted, sure the anomaly was a simple trick of the eyes, until she saw it again — blurs of green, and a flash of... orange?

Another burst of color, a strike of red...

and a dash of deep violet, there and gone...

and...

"Leo!" Fae cried out, despite the howling wind that carried her voice away. She dropped her bag to the ground, sprinting to the other side of the roof to get a better view of the action. Sure enough, the Turtles were hopping from hiding place to hiding place, their bodies melting into the shadows with years of ninjutsu training.

Her sky blue eyes flicked to the docks, where a boat was pulling in, carrying with it a single shipping container.

"The information from Japan," she said to no one, her gaze shifting ever-so-slightly.

"Oh no." She staggered back, recognizing the bulky silhouettes of the Foot Clan's newest mutants before a small battalion of robotic soldiers. She recognized the trim figure of Karai beside Sterenko and Zeck, looking meek in comparison to the other servants. Another figure stood before the three of them, his body armored with glinting metal and sharpened blades.

 _The Shredder,_ she figured with horror, watching the Foot leader send Bebop and Rocksteady into the maze of crates and containers, the formidable mutants leading the army of Foot bots into the labyrinth. Fae found the four teenagers still making their way to the ocean's edge, unknowingly being closed in on and surrounded.

"Guys!" She screamed in vain, her heart beginning to pound again as adrenaline flooded her bloodstream, weighing her limbs down with worry.

Oroku Saki had perfectly set up an ambush. For someone who'd never met the villain, an innate hatred bubbled up inside Faline, and her fingers clenched into fists. Karai must've let slip the strategies for the Turtles' infiltration. Fae pushed aside her accompanying feeling of disgust at the thought of the kunoichi ratting her friends out.

The blare of sirens made the blonde cover her sensitive ears, as police cruisers veered around the corner and screeched to a halt. The result of her rushed call to 911, she imagined, but Fae was too occupied with the jeopardy of the Hamatos to care.

Before she could control her actions, she had shapeshifted, her muscles burning as her body morphed into that of her feline counterpart. Her vision narrowed, her only destination, the docks to protect her friends.

To help Leo.

She was off, padding across the pavement and leaping across the gaps in the roofs as fast she could.


	24. Investigating

Raphael's eyes found his brother as the team made their way to the docks. He figured Leo would revert back to Hermit Mode the moment Faline walked out. It had been the same way he'd dealt with heartbreak in the past, but this was different, somehow. Back when Karai's fiasco had made him mute, he'd still shown some emotions when Mikey goofed up, or Donnie succeeded in engineering something for the four of them, or Raph himself had agitated him.

Now there was nothing but a blank expression, a featureless shell that had replaced Leo. Raph sighed quietly, watching the leader of the four point half heartedly toward the docks, not even bothering with his usual show of complex hand signals. The others followed the simple order, deciding it was probably not best to stir up any trouble by disobeying commands now.

Truthfully, Raph hadn't been all that torn up about Fae's departure, he reflected as they sprinted across the deserted street. Quite the opposite, in fact — he'd been relieved to see her go.

A twinge of guilt struck him as he and his brothers began to scale the chainlink fence surrounding the docks, a pang he smothered immediately. Why should he be feeling repentance for his treatment of Fae, when she'd been the one to practically rob Leo of his happiness? Why should he feel sorry for his actions, when hers had caused so much pain to his brother?

He knew his family would never believe it, and he desperately attempted to conceal it himself, but Raph had always cared deeply for the others. He'd watched everything that could go wrong, go wrong. He'd witnessed Leo's devastation when Karai flew the coop. He'd seen Donnie's evident heartbreak when April had chosen Jones, and not the nerd-tastic terrapin. He'd watched Mikey being rejected by not one, but two girls (granted, his little bro had gotten over it relatively quickly — it was one of the perks of being Mikey, in that the spunky terrapin never held interest in one thing for too long). Not to mention a run-in with a female salamander that had made Raphael's taste for romance turn bitter.

Raphael understood his ways of showing his protectiveness were odd, to say the least. He believed in toughening his brothers up, building them up so they couldn't be broken down so easily the next time. He demonstrated his concern with every jab at his youngest brother, every tease aimed toward the genius, and every harsh word directed at Leo. Like building callouses on the hands of Life, so that the next foe who dared to approach them would be evaded that much easier...since they'll be able to punch their lights out...because of the callouses he helped to form... on their hands... of Life?

Okay, maybe his proverbs weren't as poetic as Splinter's words of wisdom, but he felt his theory was sound.

Raph hadn't even realized they'd reached the shipping containers and crates obscuring the ocean from view. Leo threw an arm to the side, blocking the red clad terrapin's path and silently analyzing the scene around them, peering through the darkening shadows and finally signaling with a nod of his head that they could proceed their advance.

The four turtles, weapons now unsheathed and clutched in their hands, melted into the crevices and sanctuaries of darkness, the cloud-congested sky and approaching evening their allies as they crept from hiding place to hiding place. The ensuing silence allowed Raph to slip back into reflection.

Fae had been the one to break Leo's spirit, and he despised her for it. Still, the way the leader had looked at her, and the way she seemed to light up in his presence, made Raph wonder whether the blonde had really intended to hurt him.

Seeing Leonardo so worried about someone outside his clan had been a refreshing change. Watching his vigilant guard come down when Faline walked in the room, and catching his dreamy smiles thrown her way when she wasn't looking further justified his increasing, undying devotion. And it wasn't as if Fae wasn't attracted to Leo too — her reddening face when he'd compliment her training and demure smile anytime he came near was evidence of her growing feelings.

Raphael stopped halfway through a maneuver to jump to the next set of shadows. Leo was making them go through with this mission because of her! It was becoming difficult to ignore the obvious signs of his brother's attraction to the fair-haired girl.

Maybe Faline wasn't so bad, he amended to himself, but that didn't mean she wasn't to blame for Leo's rapid sink into depression.

A scuff yanked Raph out of his mental seclusion, the scrape of a shoe sole over gravel. His sais glinted in the dimming light as he raised them, his entire body stiffening as a figure clothed in black stepped into sight, its beady, robotic red eyes calculating mindlessly, its weapon at its artificially constructed hip as the Foot Bot turned in a slow and unsuspecting circle, creaking to a halt when its mechanical gaze landed on the turtle with the crimson mask.

Mikey was extremely confused.

Just a second before he'd been thinking about Ice Cream Kitty, and pondering her new gaming skills in World of Zombie Theft Auto 4, a new video game he'd discovered in the dumpster the other day. He and the others had been breaking into the docks real quiet-like, and he was plotting carious ways to cheer up his older brothers (Leo was dealing with the recent loss of Fae, Donnie was still heartbroken over April, and by the brooding look on Raph's face, he figured his bros could use a bit of his optimism).

The next thing he knew, Foot bots were swarming around him, turning what had been an easy-peasy recon mission into a not-too-fun battle. Of course, Mikey wasn't too worried. Even with the rapidly increasing enemy numbers pouring in from all directions, he was certain these mindless droids would be nothing compared to his innate awesomeness. Benefit Number Twenty Three of being Michelangelo, right up there with the ability to fit four slices of pizza into his mouth: having an empty head usually makes you prepared to veer from the plan at pretty much any time.

He barely registered the piles of deactivated bots piling up on either side of him, complimenting himself mentally with each flawless maneuver of his chucks, grinning at the satisfying thwack of his wooden weapons against dull metal. Mikey was blissfully oblivious to the worsening circumstances around, knocking out baddies left and right.

Until Raphael was thrown at his feet, semi-conscious and burbling until he finally blacked out, his rolling up in the back of his head. A heavy hammer lay directly beside Raph's head, and from the corner of his eye, Mikey caught a glimpse of a chortling Sterenko, snorting and twirling his sickle at the edge of the swarm of bots, admiring his job well done.

Michelangelo frowned, for the first time noticing his other brothers. Donatello was backed into a corner where two containers had met and formed the perfect trap, his usually well-timed and logistical sparring turning frantic and sloppy with exhaustion. Leo was holding up pretty well against a squealing and frolicking Bebop, but from the dazed look in his eyes, Mikey guessed it wasn't going to be long before one wrong move completely tripped him up.

He glanced back down at Raph, who... wasn't there. His eyes widened,snapping his head to and fro in a desperate attempt to find his brother, his pulse quickening when he saw the red mask tails disappearing amongst the thickening crowd of Foot Bots. The happy haze left his brain, leaving Mikey with weighed down limbs and muddled thoughts as adrenaline took its place. He struggled through the bots, an occasional stab and punch taking care of the adversaries blocking his path. He reached Donnie first, his kusarigama hurtling through the air and beheading the mechanic soldiers surrounding the genius.

"Thanks," Donnie breathed, chest heaving while he tried to catch his breath. "Where's Raph?"

"Lost him. Some robots dragged him away."

D cursed under his breath, an anomaly for a turtle of his quiet demeanor. "We need to find Leo."

A strangled cry pulled the attention of both the brothers.

The Foot bots halted their frenzied battle, robotic limbs falling limp as a single order rearranged the zeros and ones programming their brains. And suddenly Donnie was gone, a muffled yelp bouncing off the metal of the crates surrounding the scene as he was pulled into the mob.

"Donnie? Donnie!" Mikey shrieked, lunging forth to follow the sounds of struggle until a searing pain assaulted the back of his neck. The ground rushed up to meet his face in startling discomfort.

Mikey groaned. His arms and legs refused to move. Probably a pressure point. But who could've...?

His baby blues traveled up, up, up, taking in the ink black fabric hanging loosely on her frame, and the armor that glinted in the fading light.

Bebop and Rocksteady were there too, lumbering up to stand beside the kunoichi.

Leo was by Karai's side, his right arm covered in crimson, a fresh gash still oozing blood.

His face didn't look much better. Blood was rushing and gathering in the rising bumps on his jaw, forehead and nose.

Karai was holding her tanto to his throat. She looked...different. Somehow through all the fluff filling his head rapidly, he could tell there were bruises hidden under her caky makeup, a thin scratch concealed beneath... Covergirl... or... L'Oreal Liquid Foundation, maybe... he'd seen commercials saying that's what girls used on their face...

But Mikey couldn't remember. The feeling was returning to his feet, that was good.

Before he could try and move, a sandaled foot met his face, and then there was nothing.

Maybe he'd been too forward. Or perhaps too terribly dorky for her to ever relate to.

Whatever he had done to cause it, Donnie was sure he'd been an idiot.

Awakening from his not-so-peaceful unconsciousness, Donatello didn't think about the chains binding his hands behind his carapace, or the cold wind that stung, the petrichor filling his nostrils a sign of an oncoming storm. His mind didn't comprehend at first the two mutants standing guard on either side of him and his brothers, nor did he think about the dark form of the Shredder standing out against the waves lapping at the dock's edge.

His first waking thought was of April, as it had been for the past three years.

To call his fondness of her an obsession was an understatement, he admitted. Donnie realized his infatuation was silly and unreasonable to his brothers, but what could he say? From the moment he met her - saw her - she'd stolen his heart.

Donnie couldn't count the number of times he'd dreamt of calling her his.

But now they would remain forever trapped in his mind, crammed in between the complex equations and rigorous training routines, fantasies that would never come true.

All because... why? He still wrestled with the question. He thought he'd done everything right. He'd read up on every website he could find about chivalry, dating, flirting, he'd diligently created his flow charts, he'd begun to work out more, figuring that maybe a muscular stature would help cover up the blatant and terrible fact that he was a green, hard-shelled mutant.

Heck, he'd even looked into the science of retainers, considering fashioning one himself to repair the gap in his smile. Girls liked guys with good teeth, right?

Useless. That's what his efforts were, and that's how Donnie felt. Useless.

Only after coming to that depressing conclusion was he able to hear Oroku Saki's words at last.

"...really thought you could steal from the greatest ruler of the Foot Clan ever to exist?"

The Shredder obviously needed lessons in concealing immense egos.

"Why not? We've done it before."

The bump on Mikey's head was apparently affecting the filter on his mouth.

Shredder only chuckled, maroon cape enveloping his form in shadows for an instant as he turned to glare down at the four of them.

"You were stupid enough to infiltrate my headquarters, even to try and sway my servant back to your side. A failed attempt. She told me of your plans the moment she heard them."

Judging by the looks of Karai, she hadn't been eager to tell him the truth outright.

"Your foolish actions have only delayed my intentions. By harboring the enemy, you've made her fate your own. Tell me where Faline Derrickson is, and perhaps I will allow a kinder procedure for your demise."

Raph growled, voice wobbly as he returned from his subconscious stupor. "Oh please, spare us the bull crap, Shredder. We don't know where she is. She left. Flew the coop yesterday."

"Yeah, dude, she's not with us anymore," Mikey added with a tinge of sadness, "She's probably in the middle of packing back at that dump on Houston with her brother wailin' on her —"

"Mikey!" Donnie hissed, knowing he'd already missed his chance to cover up his little brother's slip of Fae's possible location.

"What, dude? I'm telling the truth! Connor was super brutal to her!" the orange clad turtle turned his head to peer at the leader of the four. "Why'd you let her go, Leo? I know she broker your heart and all, but seriously, not c—"

"Shut up. We no need whole life story here," a gruff Rocksteady grumbled, kicking Mikey with enough force to elicit a small sound of discomfort from him.

"Hey! Don't touch him you, son of a bitch!"

Raph's protests were cut short with a quick blow to the gut delivered by Bebop.

Donnie grunted, unusual anger and a small adjustment in how he knelt allowing his leg to flick out and sweep the legs out from under the warthog. Bebop squealed in shock, hitting the ground not-so-gracefully. Mikey, grinning at the idea, jumped up and walloped Sterenko with a classic Dr. Flip-enstein kick aimed right at the rhino's mouth. Raph, still struggling with a newly bruised rib and fuzzy vision, managed to stand and help D to his feet. The brothers grinned to each other, jumping and thrusting their arms forward, the easier position surely about to prove beneficial in the oncoming fight—

The next thing he knew, Donnie was on his knees again, gritting his teeth in agony. His eyes flicked to the long gash now gracing his plastron, splinters and shards of one of Bebop's carbon-copy mohawk weapons now wedged in the keratin protecting his chest. That was gonna leave a scar.

Glancing over, he discovered Raph was out cold again, the intoxicating smoke he'd inevitably inhaled dispersing, an empty smoke pellet on the ground next to him.

Mikey was still conscious, though he was currently battling Rocksteady's immense weight as the paunchy mutant bore down on him, immobilizing him.

Donnie saw Karai, looking frightened and helpless by her 'father's' side, a look that frankly didn't suit her.

He saw Leo, who hadn't made any move to escape whatsoever. The leader's blue orbs remained fastened on the planks of the dock.

"Enough." The Shredder's voice wasn't booming, but the venom behind it was enough to still all other actions. "I grow tired of your silence." The evil master's good eye fell upon Leonardo. "Tell me where Derrickson is. Now."

Leo's voice was quiet, raspy with underuse. "She's gone."

Donatello caught Oroku Saki's fist clenching with vexation. "Do not attempt to shield her, Turtles. The Foot will track her down, with or without your cooperation."

The docks were silent, apart from the steady sound of the ocean waves and a distant thunderclap.

The Shredder's patience wore thin fairly quickly when none of the brothers conceded. "Fine. Perhaps a bit of persuasion is in order."

Leo was unresponsive to the commotion. His lowered gaze barely caught the blur of movement, and he grudgingly craned his neck up.

Karai gagged, the fingers now closed around her throat asphyxiating her as Oroku Saki lifted her off the ground, her feet dangling inches off the ground as she clawed at the hand choking her.

"Stop!" Mikey panicked, and Leo wished he'd stop struggling against Sterenko so much. Resistance made the bargaining process he was about to undertake so much more difficult.

"Shredder, let her go," he demanded, though he remained still, knowing if he made any advances, Karai might be further jeopardized. "We can't tell you anything more. Faline is gone."

His last few words stung as they escaped him, like acid that hurt like hell and made his voice crack.

The Shredder seemed unlike his malicious self, he observed. The frantic glint in his eyes betrayed his general air of vindictive calm. Something was off. He would've killed them by now, if he weren't so desperate to get some dirt on Fae. Just what was threatening about her to him?

Another retching noise. Leo scowled, fighting the instinct to leap into action. The twitch of Shredder's fingers near his belt of weapons stilled him, his years of training telling him that springing forward wouldn't be able to stop a knife slitting Karai's throat.

"I said. Let her go."

"Not until you tell me the girl's location! The prophecy cannot be fulfilled! I will have my vengeance, and nothing can stop me. Now, where is Faline Derrickson?"

 _Prophecy. Vengeance. Okay, remember that. Don't think about it now. Karai's face is turning blue._

 _Think of a solution. Ignore this damn aching inside your chest that's driving you crazy. Figure out a way to get all of them out._

 _Don't let your mind stray. Her eyes are rolling into the back of her head. C'mon, Leo, think!_

 _Wait, what's...?_

Two eyes. Peering out around the shipping container, clad in shadows.

Cerulean. Electric. Blue.

And suddenly Leo's heart didn't feel so heavy. In fact, he felt like smiling.

"Fine, Shredder. I'll tell you where she is."

Oroku Saki grinned nefariously behind the sheet of chrome obscuring his face. Karai gasped as she dropped to the ground, coughing and spluttering as air reentered her lungs.

"Where is she, turtle." It was more of an order than an inquiry, but the uncertainty still made itself clear in the Shredder's tone.

At that point, Leonardo couldn't curb the smile that pricked his lips. "Turn around."

The blue-eyed leopard that leapt from the shadows, claws extended, a roar ripping out of its throat, surely answered his question.


	25. Battling

The screech hurt her ears.

As she tore at the armor the sound of her claws against metal made her shake her head back and forth. It seemed to work in ridding the noise, but it also took her focus off the adversary. Shredder grasped the scruff of Fae's neck, rolling backwards and sending his feet directly into her stomach, catapulting her away and rising again, ignoring the blood where she'd managed to graze his arm.

The moment she caught sight of Leo, and all the blood, and bumps, and the defeated look on his face, she had lost it, knowing the Shredder was to blame for it all. How dare he hurt him? Who was he to be inflicting that much pain on anyone?

She morphed, barely noticing the pain that trickled down her backbone as her feline ligaments and bones returned to normal. The bellow from behind made her dart behind Rocksteady, animalistic instincts compelling her to seek momentary refuge behind the clumsy mountain of muscle. She was right, and she cowered for a moment as Shredder attempted to evade the rhino's bulky form.

Leo was up. Out of his chains, the broken shackles still hanging from his wrists as he pulled her to him. Tears welled up in her eyes, seeing his swollen injuries about his face, staunching the blood still faintly trickling from the gash on his arm. And in the midst of the oncoming battle and despite the man that could skirt around his minion at any second and sink his blades into their flesh, the two embraced.

"I thought I'd never see you again," he whispered into her hair, memorizing every bit of her before she could escape his hold again. Her soft blonde strands, the marks along her shoulders, her frame hugged against them, her blue eyes that sparkled like morning skies.

"I'm not going anywhere," she murmured back, looking up at him with a beam that set everything right.

But like so many good things, the reunion was cut short.

Stupid evil ninja overlord.

Fae raced back out into the open to deal with Shredder, and Leo evaded the mutants that made a terrible attempt to restrain him.

Now back in leopard form, Fae hurled herself at Oroku Saki, her force enough to at least make him stumble back from Karai, who was still gulping in air like a fish out of water. She shifted, but not fully, the semi-transformation leaving her with her pointed ears swiveling atop her head, a tail poking out under the hem of her now-tattered shirt, and still-enhanced claws and teeth.

"Are you alright?" she asked hurriedly, ignoring the unyielding ache in her backbone while her body tried to mediate between Freeforms.

"Yes," Karai croaked, reaching for her tanto.

Fae whipped her head back to the labyrinth of crates, where Foot Bots were beginning to pour in.

 _"_ Take care of the bots. Help the others _,"_ she told her. _"_ I'll handle Shredder. _"_

Fae was off running before the kunoichi could respond, gritting her teeth against the pain that came with rearranging from human to feline. Racing at full speed, she met the impressive force of Oroku Saki as he barreled toward her. His weapons were already out and swinging, and she barely had time to react. Though she managed to dodge, she growled as his knives left trails of crimson staining her fur. She whirled, a claw lashing out and trying to bash him. He sidestepped, vanishing before she could advance again.

Fae's ears twitched backwards, listening to the waves and the mutants fighting behind her and trying to sort out the many events barraging her senses.

A weapon was unsheathed behind her, and she dipped her head before the knife could detach her head from her body. Shredder was there again, and this time he decided on a punch as the best means of knocking her off balance. Fae yowled, shying from the fists that had left bruises along her side in mere seconds.

She snarled, twisting out of reach again when Shredder's advances proved too quick to block. The muscles of her hind legs bunched and tensed, springing her up above the fight with ease, and she landed on a vessel docked nearby.

Fae transformed, wincing at the long scratches that graced her back. The clouds finally let loose, raindrops landing in her hair and on her nose. _Hurry, before Shredder catches up. Think. What should you do?_

She peered over, and saw Leo holding his own, protecting his brothers while Karai rushed to unbind them. They'd be fine. If they could all escape before any Foot bots arrived, they'd be lucky. Fae watched the leader, swords fluid in motion, one with his body, mesmerizing her with movements that made his fatal moves seem magical.

She was wrenched out of her observations, the shuriken missing her by inches and hitting the shipping container distracting her. Before she could react, she was on the ground, head pounding, a copper taste filling her mouth. The Shredder loomed over her.

"How quaint. Of all people, she chose you. A powerless, helpless girl," Shredder said, and then blades were being pressed against her jugular. "I must say, I'm disappointed. Ōkami Yamada could've done so much better."

"How's this for powerless and helpless, dickhead?" Her voice echoed over the pounding of rain against the deck, accompanied by the pattering of quick and light footfalls.

The next moment, the Shredder grunted, tossed back by and pinned by a recently shapeshifted Fae.

She closed her teeth around his chrome helmet, prying and tearing and ignoring the shrieking metal giving way as she fought toward the vulnerable flesh beneath. Her vision was blurred by the delayed reaction the morphing, and her focus slipped.

A pressure point beneath her ribcage stilled her enough for Saki to escape, struggling with the new dents in his helmet that pressed against his skull uncomfortably. She rumbled deep in her throat, coughing up the clotted blood that had gathered in her mouth, stalking toward him.

This time it was the Foot leader that retreated, occupied with his mangled Kuro Kabuto. Fae figured it was better to let him go for now, watching him jump into the bay. She could help Leo. She morphed again, rolling her jaw to try and expel the aching. Her head still felt like someone was beating it with a mallet.

Leo was safe. Bruised, bloodied, definitely in need of some patching up, but not in any mortal jeopardy. And that was all that mattered, as of yet.

She looked over her shoulder one last time, making sure the evil master was nowhere to be seen. They needed to escape, before the entirety of the Foot bots arrived and all hell broke loose.

She crouched, feeling the grain of weathered wood beneath her fingertips, springing from starboard and landing with precision. She smirked to herself and admired her perfect footing. She guessed that old saying proved true — cats _do_ always land on their feet.

 _Don't get distracted. Remember the battle._

She raced to Leo's side, allowing just enough baser instinct to emerge for her pristine fingernails to elongate into claws, raking her new weapons across the flesh of the rhino. The claws retracted once the opposing mutant staggered back, and Fae looked over at Leo with a big grin.

He nodded, a smile of his own tugging the corners of his lips.

 _Quit looking to gain approval, Faline. Focus._

"We need to go," she called over the rain now coming down in sheets, making her platinum blonde hair stick to the sides of her face and sag across her eyes.

Another nod. "Donnie, Mikey, Raph! Move out!"

The brothers snapped to attention, following orders and falling back from Bebop, who was currently out cold. A few Foot Bot pieces were scattered on the docks, though if they didn't move fast, they'd be trapped by a bigger horde of enemies.

"Not much time," Mikey predicted, the only one able to speak among the three.

With horror, Fae realized the discoloration on Raph's swelling face, and the thick gash along Donnie's front. At this point, it was the genius everyone was worried about. The keratin was incised deep enough to be oozing blood from the sensitive skin beneath. From the looks of Donnie, he was certainly feeling the effects of such a harsh injury.

"We need to get you some help."

"I'll be fine," he slurred, blinking hard, his eyes bleary.

"Here, let me."

Five heads jerked in the direction of the newcomer. Karai nudged Mikey aside, tossing Donnie's arm over her shoulder and supporting his weight.

"Oh, hell no. Give us one good reason we should trust you, Princess," Raph snarled, popping his knuckles in a manner that threatened her none.

Donatello shrugged, his head lolling a bit. "She helped us fight."

"That's not good enough," Leo put in, shooting a venomous look her way. "You betrayed us."

"I had no choice. He tortured me. Beat me."

Karai's voice cracked, and Fae realized tears were staining her cheeks along with the rain ruining her makeup. Where her gaudy beauty product had faded, bruises and swelling were made plain. Scaly scars were remnants of deep cuts, healed but not forgotten. Her eyes held a deeper kind of sadness that made Fae wonder whether visible scars were all that were taking their toll on her.

"We can trust her." Faline didn't realize the words were her own, at first. But if the depressed look in Karai's wasn't enough to remind her of her own broken state, her disheveled and ragged appearance made her believe she would be easy enough to defeat if her loyalty shifted again.

"No way! I'm not letting this traitor get anywhere near us. Get away from my brother, you b—"

"Raphael! Enough!"

"Raph, don't overreact."

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"Uh, guys?"

"Quit whining like a baby. How much harm could I even do to you, with the shape I'm in?"

"Guys?"

"We thought you were harmless the last time. Just because you're willing to help doesn't automatically make you—"

"Guys!"

"WHAT?!" the five cried in exasperation at the youngest turtle.

Mikey gulped, pointing his finger to something directly behind the teens. "We have a problem."

Row after row of Foot Bots surrounded them. Weapons were already drawn, all pointing toward the Turtles and their allies. Above it all, observing the ambush, Oroku Saki towered atop a shipping container, his glower enough to make anyone want to cower.

"Surrender." His voice rang out over the docks, accompanied only by the torrents of raindrops.

"Never." Leo sank to a defensive stance, katanas out, blades scraping the pavement slightly as he maneuvered them to shield his body.

"Then face the wrath of the Foot Clan."

The Foot soldiers sprang into action. The air was suddenly filled with the sounds of clashing weapons. Fae was nearly oblivious to the rest of them, too focused on summoning the strength to morph in and out of her second form to notice there were still some injured comrades amongst the fighting.

"Karai!" Fae yelped when she caught sight of her, "Get Donatello out of here! We'll handle it!"

She was back into the fight before she could hear any response.

Perhaps the adrenaline surging through her kept her grounded, or the fact that Leo was there with her. Maybe that minimal amount of training was paying off.

Either way, Fae had never felt so powerful or in control during battle. Her body became one with the ferocity she felt within, but remained calm, like the ocean's surface containing unfathomable monsters below the waves. Her skin was as unpredictable as the water, flowing in and out of her leopard and human forms, dodging blows with her small frame and returning to power with claws that crunched through robotic armor and teeth that ravaged the chrome skin of the soldiers, like a tsunami traveling through each warrior, leaving scattered remains behind.

The fight was a blur, now. All she saw was the carnage she inflicted on the Foot bots, all she heard was the sound of metal screeching as she tore it apart, all she felt was this deep-rooted need to make sure her family was alright. Better off for it, she supposed. The constant cacophony was keeping her in ignorance of the increasing pain she was enduring with each shapeshift.

She spotted Leo, somewhere between the girl-to-animal metamorphosis she was completing for the umpteenth time. He was beaming, katanas making quick work of the soldiers. His smile warmed her heart.

A path was cleared through the sea of Foot bots, enough for Raph and Mikey to escape through. A quick glance up told Fae Shredder had disappeared again, lurking somewhere, ready to pounce. She sent up a silent prayer, hoping Leo's brothers and Karai had made it out safely.

It was her and Leo now. The surge of initial energy was draining, and her limbs were becoming weighed down with exhaustion. She was suddenly pulled close by him, and the sound of a grappling hook triggering made her cling to Leonardo instinctively, as they zoomed through the air, above the havoc, a few feet beyond the swarm of bots.

"Are you alright?" he asked, despite the fact that the arm around her was shaking with effort, despite the blood trickling into his eye and the welts and bruises appearing on his skin.

Fae smiled, hugging him close, inhaling and breathing him in, remembering everything about him, never wanting him to let her go.

"We should be going," she whispered once she realized the Foot bots had reprogrammed and were scaling the building they stood on.

Leo nodded, his hand sliding down and taking hers as they started off at a sprint, the rain hitting harder against their skin as they leapt from foothold to foothold.

This was it. They were going home. Home, where there was no threat of abuse or pain. Only him, and her, and the new family Fae had found.

She couldn't wait.

"Leonardo! Faline!"

Fae and Leo frowned at each other, turning to squint at the source of the small voice.

"What are you doing?!"

Karai was aboard the vessel where Fae had battled Shredder only minutes ago, having emerged from the lone shipping container with a bag slung around her shoulder. A brass cylinder was clutched in her gloved hand, and she waved it frantically.

"The prophecy!" she screamed.

"Get out of there!" Leo cried.

"Prophecy?" Fae questioned.

"You need this!" she shrieked, "You can't complete the final mission without it!"

 _Final mission?_

This was crazy.

They didn't have time for this! Karai needed to exit the boat, pronto.

Fae's face paled instantly. The scream of warning wouldn't have come fast enough, she knew that. She was racing in the direction of the foe-turned-ally before anyone (including herself) could ask any questions.

There was no possibility that Karai would've spotted the shadowy figure dragging itself out of the water, looming behind her.

Common sense went out the window. A flash of lightning tore across the gray sky, masking the sound of unsheathing blades. Shredder's knives glinted as unrelenting as the electricity surging through the air.

The rain pelted against the docks, and a strangled cry tore out of Fae's throat, "Look out!"

Karai turned a second too late, as the swords raked across her shoulder blades and sent her sprawling, the brass cylinder rolling just out of reach, a shriek of pain piercing the air.

Another lightning flash, and then the deep voice of the Shredder. "Traitor."

His arm raised, blades already tainted with her blood preparing to come down and take another life.

"NO!"

Fae's eyes retracted to slitted pupils, claws extending from her fingertips in a half-assed attempt to morph, leaping at Saki and prying him away from the fallen girl. She roared, slashing at his skin, his arms, any flesh she could sink her claws into, ferocity returning in full-force as she whirled him around, aiming to leave more scars along his already-mangled face—

 _SHHK._

The breath left her. Pain bloomed from her abdomen, but she could barely register the agony that overwhelmed her senses. Shredder pulled the blades from her side with a sickening sound, and the resulting emptiness as blood left her system and pooled on the deck made her knees buckle. She sank to the ground, her head thudding against the wood. The rain felt softer now, comforting instead of relentless.

Faline stared up at the gray sky, the thunder booming and making her start only slightly. A huge form loomed over her. Her vision was undulating, and she only saw a faint change of light as the blades sailed down, about to finish her off.

An inhuman streak, and white-scaled ropes wrapped themselves around Shredder's neck. Snakes, she realized. They pulled him away.

 _Where'd they come from?_

She didn't really care. The rain was so nice against her skin. The pitter patter washed away the pain. All she felt was sleepy.

There was rustling off to the side. A flash of blue caught her eye. Had the clouds parted? She hoped not - the rain was so nice, she didn't want it to stop.

The corners of her vision darkened. Fae smiled.

She was dying. The blood seeping out of her was too much to recover from. At least she'd get to see Mom and Dad again.

But... Leo...

A voice called out to her as she sank further into oblivion. "Fae! Faline, stay awake, please...just stay with me. I can't lose you...please..."

And then nothing.


	26. Reuniting

_The light was blinding, and she nearly closed her eyes against the harsh flares, if not for the silhouette beckoning for her._

 _"Faline."_

 _"Mom!"_

 _"Hi, honey. It's been a while, hasn't it?"_

 _"Y...yeah, it has. God, I'm so happy to see you! Where's Dad?"_

 _"He's still at home. He left the adventuring to me, as usual. You know how your father is."_

 _"Yeah, that's just Dad for you, I guess. Homebody as usual."_

 _"Exactly. Rule-abiding too. I should be back with him, really. But you know I've always had a certain distaste for the rules. "_

 _This place was unfamiliar. She couldn't remember much, wasn't too concerned about remembering much. All she knew was that she shouldn't be able to speak to her mother this way - in the way that Tamara could still answer back. Unless..._

 _"...wait, if I'm really talking to you, does this mean I'm...dead? Or is this all a dream?"_

 _"You're not dreaming, honey. This is real."_

 _"So I'm dead."_

 _"Not yet."_

 _Her mother's laugh. Clear as day, as ringing and round as it had been in her childhood. She only wished she could understand what Tamara found so humorous. Maybe the baffled expression gracing her face now?_

 _"You have a choice to make, Faline. You can stay here with your father and I, or you can return to New York."_

 _"Why would I want to go back there? I've missed you like crazy. You don't know how hard it's been, Mom. Not having you around... it nearly broke me, I'll admit."_

 _"Believe me, I know how hard it's been. I've watched you grow into a fine young woman. You've made me proud, Faline."_

 _"Really? You think so? Because all I've done is act like a scared little girl my whole life since you... you went away."_

 _It was a kind smile that filled her vision, as her mother placed an other-worldly hand on her cheek._

 _"Died. I died Faline. Death is nothing to fear, honey. And it's not your fault you were forced into timidity half your life."_

 _"Yeah, I've got Connor to thank for that, partly."_

 _"Yes, Connor — hmm. Connor has had some definite trials. He's put you through an unfair amount of pain. A girl losing her mom is hard enough. Your brother will have to reap what he sowed, and I'm just glad you're safe."_

 _"And I'm just glad I'm with you. This place looks pretty nice."_

 _"It gets better. You're in the In-Between, but the rest is even grander. Now don't rush into things. I want you to think about this, Faline. The fate of your friends depends on whether you stay here or not."_

 _"My... friends? Mom, if you really know what's happened since you — died — you'd know I don't have friends."_

 _"Now that's not true. Don't you remember? C'mon, look back and—"_

 _She pulled away at that, the cut-off connection dimming the blinding light, which, she'd admit, was a bit of a relief._

 _"I'm done looking back, Mom. I don't want anything to do with yesterday. The past doesn't define me."_

 _"I know that, honey, and I'm glad you've come to that realization. But the past is a part of us, like it or not. And if you refuse to reflect once in a while, you'll miss all the good things you experienced."_

 _"But living in the now—"_

 _"Is important, yes. But the past is something we learn from. It's where all the happy memories are."_

 _"I...I don't think I can..."_

 _"Try it for me, Faline. You're strong enough, I know it. The things you've gone through haven't been kind to you, but there's always light in the darkness. Find the light, Faline. Find the hope."_

 _The white light shifted, turned cooler, calmer, darker but somehow still relieving. She recognized the color, a hue that she'd found comfort in before. It had tinted the irises of someone equally comforting to her._

 _"I...I remember...blue eyes."_

 _"Who was the person behind them?"_

 _"He was... he was a leader. Kind. Gentle. Protective."_

 _"Handsome?"_

 _"...Yes. In his own way. He was ripped, that's for sure."_

 _Another giggle, like wind chimes on a windless day._

 _"Ha! You always know how to make me laugh, honey. But back to the point. Do you know his name?"_

 _"...Leo. Leonardo. Oh my God, Leo!"_

 _"That's it, Faline. He was your hope, wasn't he?"_

 _"Yes, he was... you don't think it's odd? You know, that he's..."_

 _"A mutant reptile with big knives?"_

 _"He prefers the term ninja."_

 _"I'm only messing with you. And I think you and I can agree that his appearance means nothing when you see the young man behind it."_

 _"Mmhmm."_

 _"You love him, don't you?"_

 _Even in death, there wasn't anything that could stop Tamara from shocking her daughter._

 _"What?!"_

 _"Oh, don't make a fuss. I'm your mother, you can tell me anything."_

 _"...Yes. I...I do."_

 _"And you miss him?"_

 _And the colors changed, from a familiar cerulean to a harsher crimson, momentarily blocking out her mother while white-hot agony seared directly through her sternum._

 _"...God, yes. It hurts, how much I miss him."_

 _"Then go to him."_

 _"But...but Mom, I don't want to leave you. And Dad, I haven't gotten to see him yet."_

 _"He'll still be with you. We'll both be with you."_

 _"Always?"_

 _"Always."_

 _The image of her mother was getting dimmer, though she couldn't tell if that was from her tear-filled eyes or the smoke beginning to cloak her form._

 _"I'm...I'm gonna miss you, Mom."_

 _"It's alright, honey, don't cry."_

 _"I can't h-help it..."_

 _One last brush of her fingertips against her face, wiping her tears like she'd done years ago, when she was still living._

 _"Ssh, Faline, it's okay. I'm here."_

 _"I love you. I love you so much, Mama."_

 _"I love you more, my sweet, sweet Faline."_

 _She was definitely fading now, the fog becoming to thick to properly see her face. It wasn't fair; there were still so many things to ask, to tell her, to share with her._

 _"And... do you think he loves me too?"_

 _"Leonardo? ...I guess you'll have to find out, won't you?"_

 _The smoke couldn't obscure the pearly whites beaming at her mischievously._

 _"I know that smile. I haven't forgotten that smile. Just tell me already!"_

 _"Love is an adventure too, honey. You have to be brave enough to embark on it."_

 _"Send Dad my love, okay?"_

 _"I will. Now, I think it's time you leave. That Donatello is pretty inexperienced with those defibrillators of his, isn't he?"_

 _"Wha—"_

 _zzZWAP._

 _"Ow! Mom, what's—"_

 _"It's your ride home, baby. Stay calm."_

 _zzZWAP._

 _"Ouch! Damn it, that hurts! ...Mom? Mom!"_

"CLEAR!"

 _zzZWAP._

"...Fae? Can you hear me?"


	27. Surviving

"Leo," Fae rasped, and he choked back a sob of relief.

"You're alive! You're alive!" he exclaimed over and over, his hands shaking and tears pouring down his face, holding her cold fingers like they were made of glass.

"That was close. Too close," Donnie grumbled, staggering back and wincing as the bandages on his plastron shifted uncomfortably over his injury.

Fae blinked slowly, the consciousness slowly returning to her. Donatello bustled about, finding the oxygen mask and placing it over her mouth and nose. The IV bag swung precariously as it hung from its makeshift place on an old coat hanger, a package of B+ transfusion beside it, connected to Fae's body with a second tube. Her forearms were dotted with tiny red scabs along with her leopard print, where Donnie's hands had been too shaky at first to find the proper vein to stick the needle into. Her entire torso was securely wrapped with thick gauze, her bloodied top abandoned long before when Leo realized the bandaging covered her effectively and the stench emanating from the crimson-dressing cloth was making him nauseous.

Leonardo smiled, the salt water seeping from his eyes making it hard not to wince as the tears soaked the scratches and cuts on his face. He didn't care. She was alive. She was weak, blinking back tears of her own at what was undoubtedly an immense amount of pain. He wanted to hold her and make sure nothing came between her and him ever — EVER again.

"What...what happened?" Fae asked quietly, looking up at Leo like he was the sun and moon and stars all rolled up into one dazzling individual. He rather liked the look she was giving him.

"The blood loss was nearly too much. Donnie managed to stitch you up, and the stab luckily missed your vital organs."

"Vital organs," Donnie emphasized, "and do you know how difficult it is to perform an appendectomy using only YouTube videos?"

"Aah, yes. It didn't entirely miss all your organs," Leo amended, reaching forward and brushing her hair from her face. She was pale, ghostly white, but her eyes were still a gorgeous sky blue. She was still with him, thank God.

"S'alright. And... the ap..appendix-ectom... erm..."

"Appendectomy," Donnie offered.

"Right, that," she smiled, and Leo thought he'd melt in relief. She was smiling! She'd just narrowly escaped death, and here she was grinning, her spirit still intact.

"Is that what made you...have to use...those?" Her hand weakly raised from the cot to gesture toward the powered-down defibrillators on the tray beside them.

Donnie gave a simple nod. "I thought I'd cleansed all the toxins from your bloodstream, but apparently my methods weren't thorough enough. I was keeping you alive with just CPR for a while there. Raph and Mikey had to break into a hospital to get the proper equipment and blood transfusions needed to keep your heart pumping."

"Thank you," she whispered, throwing the genius a smile that looked more like a grimace, "You saved my life."

"Probably caused more damage than intended," Donnie replied apologetically, "but that's expected when you're depending on a surgeon whose entire front was just sliced apart."

Leo was grateful for the air of slight positivity from Donatello. He felt horrible for making him operate in so much pain, but at the time, he could think of nothing else but Faline.

"All the same," she asserted as best she could behind the oxygen mask, "I wouldn't be here without you."

Donnie smiled, the grin not reaching his eyes. He'd been through a lot the past couple of days, Leo realized. Not only trying to keep Fae alive, but dealing with his own injuries, and having to watch April walk in just before Fae's appendix burst, hand-in-hand with Casey.

Leo could still hear their redheaded friend's startled, "What happened to you guys?" just before Raph had scared the two of them off with barked comments and a few choice words. Donatello had remained unresponsive, staring at the place where April had just been for a full two minutes before the heart monitors started going crazy in the lab.

His thoughts lingered on apathy for his brother little. Fae coughed meekly, and his attention snapped directly back to her.

"Are you okay? Is something wrong? Do you feel queasy? What can I do?"

"I'm fine," was her reply, "The others?"

"Raph is recovering from a concussion, he's in bed. Mikey just got a couple of minor cuts and bruises, nothing ice packs and stitches couldn't fix." Donnie's answer was scientific, almost rehearsed, as if the one person he'd left out of the report wouldn't be noticed if he went quick enough through the explanation.

"What about Karai?"

A thick pall of remorse settled over the trio immediately.

"Is she...is she gone?" Fae's voice turned strained with held-back tears.

Before she'd hardly been able to stand the kunoichi. Now she was reduced to tears over her possible death? Leo guessed the anger and years of pent-up frustration emitting from her a few days ago had finally dispersed, and despite the somewhat grave news he was about to deliver, his heart swelled with relief seeing her old compassion shining through.

"We tried to rescue her. Raph was trying to get her and the information off the boat, away from Shredder. Part of the reason for his nasty concussion. Mikey saw him go down and went to help, he didn't realize Karai was being dragged off."

"But...he didn't kill her?"

"We didn't see her die," Donnie affirmed, becoming suddenly immersed in the sanitation of his medical tools, "Knowing Shredder, he probably locked her in the dungeons to use as bait later. But he looked pretty damn angry, wounded ego and all. Wouldn't be a surprise if his temper flew off the handle and he ended her later."

His lack of finesse in the matter earned him a scowl from Leo. Fae's face was overcome with horror, and she grabbed at Leo's hand, tears spilling now.

"Why didn't you go after her?!"

He reached forward, sweeping his thumb beneath her eyes and drying her tear-stained cheeks with all the tenderness of a lover caressing their soulmate, "You think I could've left you? You...you were dying, and I was gonna do anything to stop that from happening. I wasn't gonna lose you, Fae."

God, he could see her drifting away from him like a horrible nightmare, burned into his memory with unforgiving detail. He could feel the slickness as he tried to staunch the blood gushing from her side, and feel her weight in his arms, her body going limp and her blue eyes dulling, and her lids falling shut, and her breaths coming ragged and short and then barely there at all, her heartbeat dying as he ran faster than he'd ever run trying to get to help before the life left her, and she drained every ounce of hope from him for eternity. Stop it, don't think about that, she's here now, she's holding your hand, her heart is beating, her eyes are staring at you, she's alive.

She smiled weakly, but her eyes remained sad. "We need to help her. We need to rescue her. She's on our side."

"She is. And we will. But right now you need to focus on recovering."

"And then we need to analyze the information she stole," Donatello put in, even quieter now, hesitant to screw up with his words again and cause more rebuke from Leo. He pulled out a cardboard box, containing only the bag and scroll Karai had possessed.

"You got it?" Fae's tone was more cheerful now.

"Yes, but we'll talk about it later," Leo asserted, glancing over at his brother, "You need to do some routine checkups, right?"

"Right. Hold still, Fae, replacing the bandages won't hurt as much if you don't move."

Faline whimpered only once or twice. An impressive feat, in Leo's opinion, since Donnie was chafing her already tender skin as he unwrapped the gauze carefully (remaining cautiously aware of how far up the bandages were unraveled, of course), and prodding gently with his fingers to make sure there were no hernias or other sizable health issues, which couldn't have been comfortable. After that it was a matter of removing the discolored puss that had oozed from between the stitches of her five inch long wound, and disinfecting the skin. The look of the injury alone was enough to make Leonardo wince — around the stitches, purple and green bruises were seen, and if any shifting of either Donatello or Faline caused the stitches to pull and puncture further. The amateur physician decided the oxygen mask was unnecessary, pulling it back from her nose and lips and allowing her to inhale natural air — well, as natural as it could be, in a stuffy laboratory within the sewers.

Fae eventually slumped against the pillows, exhaustion and multiple throbbing areas in her body making her sleepy.

"How long..." She shivered, her shuddering body interrupting her. Leo reacted instantly, pulling the cotton sheets from her feet up to her chest. He understood the gist of her question.

"Three days."

Leo still couldn't comprehend how he'd managed to stay sane. He hadn't left her side the entire time Donatello worked to save her, despite the nauseating smell of her blood on the lab table as the doctor of the team worked and the sight of her perfect alabaster skin torn and ripped apart, further tortured by his brother's scalpel, cutting and incising and filling him with dread.

"I'm sorry."

She was apologizing? Apologizing for what? For saving someone's life? For stopping what would have been five deaths on the docks that day in the rain?

For making him worry, he realized.

"You don't have to be sorry," his voice came out barely above a whisper.

"You're a hero, Fae," Donnie put in, back still turned while he rummaged with something on his desk, out of sight, "We might not know where Karai is, but you gave her a fighting chance."

"We might not be alive, if it weren't for you." Leo smiled, cupping her cheek, grateful that she was regaining warmth and color, "I'm so proud of you. You were great out there. Should've seen it. Your fighting is amazing."

"Learned from the best," she responded with a gentle grin, pressing her cheek into his palm, surprised at how openly their affections were now showing through. Perhaps life-threatening situations were what it took to bring them close? Fae shivered again at the thought — being so open with Leonardo was great and all, but after a battle like that, she questioned whether mortal danger was really worth the prize of his emotions finally showing through.

Definitely worth it, she affirmed to herself, watching the devotion to her and the mending heartbreak at her reawakening and the warmth in his usually cool blue eyed glance.

"You need rest," Donatello mumbled, more to himself more than anyone, since both Leo and Fae were so enthralled with each other.

"'Kay," she mumbled, not paying attention in the least.

"So, I guess I'll just... if you need anything, just... umm, our rooms our down the hall...," Donatello stammered awkwardly, finally giving up and shuffling dismally out of the laboratory, relinquishing his territory to the other two.

"I missed you," Leo said, beaming at her.

"I missed you too. It hurt, how much I missed you," she whimpered, finding his cheek and caressing the bruise along his forehead, comforting the cut under his eye, healing the days'-worth of sorrow hidden under his skin.

"You sure the pain wasn't from your appendix bursting?"

She had to laugh at that. The sound cracked halfway out of her mouth, but the giggle filled him with joy.

"No, I'm positive it's because I wasn't with you," she assured.

Her words set him afire, and the tiny shred of hope that this might work, that she might come back to him, that she could ever care for him, turned into a burning inferno inside Leonardo. And then his eyes wandered from her mesmerizing sky blues to her slightly parted lips, pink and soft and inviting against her skin despite the days she'd spent without them moving.

His gaze met hers again, realizing he'd leaned forward, and then the voice in the back of his mind began its cautious, irritating blare.

Too close.

You'll regret it.

She'll reject you.

Stay away.

Play it safe.

Test the waters.

Remain wary.

"Faline, can I kiss you?"

The words had slipped from his mouth so suddenly, he didn't comprehend what he'd said for a moment. Faline looked like a deer in headlights, and then she averted her eyes, a demure grin showing, the skin of the apples of her face lighting up as her cheeks flushed shyly.

"I like to be called Fae."

The lilting playfulness in her voice made it clear — she was being uncharacteristically teasing.

The amused tone spurred more courage within him. Leo wasn't quite sure how to go about it. He'd seen it in movies.

Lean in, right? Just a little, so you don't scare her off.

He tested the theory, granted with the reward of her shifting closer.

Alright, now tilt your head, so your noses don't bump. Wait, does that rule still apply if you don't have a nose?

"Leo, for God's sake."

And then her arms were around his neck, yanking him closer, and then there she was, her smooth lips pressed against his nearly nonexistent ones.

They stayed like that for a moment. Staring at each other. Kissing, he supposed.

Close your eyes, idiot.

So he made the next move, an arm sliding 'round her waist, his lids drifting closed, feeling her respond as her arms tightened, holding onto him as they embraced.

It was short, not one of the sloppy, wet kisses he'd witnessed more than once in an odd Space Heroes episode. It was sweet, and definite, and them. It was nothing more than it needed to be, and nothing less than magical.

"I'm different."

Way to go, Leo. Way to end the romance by reminding her of the fact that you're a mutant turtle living in the sewers. Real smooth.

"I'm different too," was her reply, "Does it matter?"

He didn't know how to answer.

"My life is dangerous."

"My life has never felt safer with you in it."

"You won't live normally if you choose me."

"I wasn't living before you at all. Normalcy is overrated."

Why was he trying to talk her out of this? He knew he'd grown fond of her. More than fond. He wanted to keep kissing Faline, and never stop, not for anyone or anything.

Perhaps, to air on the side of caution.

"I can't give you the world. I can't take you where you want to go, show you what you want to see."

Silence. Nothing but their breaths, mingling in the small space between them.

He continued in a panic. "I know you wanna leave. I know you want to escape, but... if you go, I can't go with you. I have to stay here, in New York. With my brothers. Where no one can see us."

She remained voiceless, until a small grin pricked at her lips. "New York..."

He couldn't help smiling too, though his heart was breaking knowing that of course she had to refuse this, of course she had to follow her dreams and leave, of course all this was crazy. "Yeah, New York. The one place you want to get away from."

"Not if you're here," she said finally, "I don't need to go anywhere. You take me everywhere. I don't need to be anywhere but right next to you."

He didn't question it. He was too happy to question it. He kissed her again, and they remained lipqocked for a bit longer this time.

She pulled back, her forehead leaned against his. "I'm so happy I have you."

"You deserve so much more."

"I don't need anything more. You gave me light when I was in darkness. You pulled me out of what would've been a living hell. You were my hope."

He hadn't realized it, or hadn't let himself acknowledge it until now, but... "You were mine, too."

She beamed, her eyes sparkling like the blue sky he rarely got to see. "You gave me hope, Leonardo," she whispered against his lips as they brushed again.

The words filled him up and left him empty, like the only way he'd feel whole was if she was in his arms forevermore.

"I love you, Faline Derrickson."

She shivered, but he knew it wasn't from chill. "I love you too."


	28. Epilogue

"Wake up, love birds."

Fae stirred, her arms seemingly pinned to her sides, her side still aching, multiple points in her body pounding. But she was happier than she'd been in a long while. She was greeted by the sight of Raph glowering at her.

"Get a room, why don't cha?" he mumbled with a smug smirk, his eyes flicking to something — no, someone — next to her. She realized her arms were being pressed against a smooth plastron.

Leo blinked his eyes open, not registering Raphael above him and grinning at Fae. "Morning."

Before she could intervene, his lips were pressed against hers in a morning salutation, filling her up with enough euphoria to last a lifetime.

"Eww, gross!" another voice cried, making Leo jolt back and turn his head to scowl at Mikey. "When did they start kissing?" The youngest brother asked, wrinkling his nose like the thought of PDA was impure.

Leo had fallen asleep beside her on the laboratory cot, she remembered. She smiled faintly, glancing over at her flustered — boyfriend? Yes, boyfriend now, she supposed, her heart fluttering at the notion that they were together in a more-than-friends sense.

"Some privacy would've been nice guys," Leo grumbled, sitting up and carefully uncurling his arms from around her to arrange the pillows in a comfortable half-sitting position for her.

"Technically, you're invading my privacy," Donnie corrected, eyes flicking over one of the monitors on his desk, "This is my lab, you know."

"Yeah, dudes," Mikey chimed in with a cheeky grin, "Your smooching needs to be taken elsewhere! You think Donnie wants to see acts of love right now?"

It was meant to be a joke, but everyone in the room visibly stiffened. Donnie didn't look up, but his eyes weren't darting across the screen anymore. They were distant, unfocused... depressed.

"Thank you for that gracious reminder, Mikey," he said so deadpan one might've thought his brain had been replaced with robotic circuiting.

"Oh, dude, I didn't... I mean, I wasn't... I shouldn't have..." Michelangelo hung his head, his hands clasped behind his back now in contrition.

The silence was nearly unbearable. Donatello was the one who finally broke it. "I don't need my personal life projected out here for all of you to see. So wisecracks are unappreciated. And anyway, we have this prophecy to decipher."

'Prophecy' caught Faline's attention. She blinked over at the genius. "Come again?"

Donnie stood and walked over, a manila folder clutched in one hand, the brass cylinder from the docks in his other. He set the scroll in her lap without a second glance, more interested in the contents of the papers than the prophecy it seemed. "Care to do the honors?"

She knew she didn't need the oxygen mask any longer, but suddenly Fae was wishing she had assistance in her inhalations were sharp, uneven with apprehension. This prophecy that Karai had been willing to be kidnapped for, that Shredder had been willing to kill for, and that the one boy she cared the most about could've died for, was resting in its brass holder on her lap.

Lives had been risked to retrieve this. Was is possible the scroll would determine the fates of those lives? Was this prophecy going to spell out a legacy she couldn't possibly be responsible for? Faline gulped, wishing she wasn't the one the words inside had been written for. Here she was, escaping a life that had been spelled out for her as ongoing misery, as a slave to someone she should've loved. And now she was facing this prophecy, about to give her another itinerary to live by. Who was to say this wouldn't be as dreary and depressing a prediction as her previous live had been?

"This doesn't define you."

Faline turned, catching Leo's gaze.

"You know that," he continued, his eyes unwavering, comforting. A stronghold in this sea of chaos.

And then she was calm. Faline breathed deeply, scooping up the container, weighing it in her hands for a moment.

This doesn't define me.

She unscrewed the cap, delicately extracting the rolled up parchment within, yellowed with age, edges wrinkled and torn.

Fae cradled it carefully, feeling it would crumble to dust if she handled it too harshly. Delicately, she unwound the tight roll, the words on the paper black as night against their powdery background. Asian, she realized, recognizing the kanjis and reading aloud:

 _"When dire is the fate of the pure clan's lives,_

 _Four souls rise up to bring Saki's demise,_

 _The soul of the leopard, with eyes of sky blue,_

 _Searching for hope, with one dream to pursue,_

 _The soul of the owl, hair dark as night,_

 _Without chains, not free, about to take flight,_

 _The soul of the fox, with heritage vile,_

 _Overcomes the past, or is overcome by the wild,_

 _The soul of the wolf, heart and mind ice cold_

 _Loves the unlikely, who softens her world."_

"Dude," Mikey mumbled, the only word he seemed to think up to convey his massive intrigue.

"What does it mean?" Raph asked.

"It's a prophecy, not a playbook on the future," Fae quipped rather shortly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Raph asked, tone warning.

"Prophecies aren't meant to give people a play-by-play. They just tell you how things turn out, and give you clues about what will happen," she met the four turtles' eyes individually, "and if I've learned anything from the myths I've read over the years, these things can't be changed either. If you try to change them, you make things worse. For everyone."

"Well, we know the leopard stanza is centered around you," Donnie pointed out, "You've got blue eyes, you want to see the world — that's your dream — and—"

"I was searching for hope for a while," she finished for him, not needing to look at Leo to know he was grinning subtly, "and I found it."

"...Okay," Raph drawled, hasty to get to the point, "So what are these other lines about?"

"If the leopard defines what form Fae shaped into, I'm guessing the animals each identify the next Freeformer." Donnie trailed off, becoming engrossed in thought and then searching the papers in his hand.

"Freeformer?" Faline questioned.

"Oh yeah, you weren't there, were you?" Mikey realized, "That's what Karai called you, when she warned us about what was gonna happen with your powers. Pretty good name. I mean, I would've called you a Super Rad Transforming Cat Girl, but Freeformer is a close second."

Fae chuckled, her eyes pulled back to Donnie when he mumbled out, "Is there any name mentioned on there?"

"Umm," Fae checked over the page, "Got it! Looks like it's Ōkami Yamada."

D nodded to himself. "All these papers seem like... entries. From a journal, or a diary of some sort," he reflected, "They keep mentioning Ōkami Yamada. A... fox witch? My Japanese is a little rusty."

"Mine is good," she offered, "Pass them to me."

Faline scooped up the hackneyed bunch of writings, shuffling through them, the elegant Asian scrawl a comforting reminder of when she'd learned the language.

Mom was right. I missed a lot of the good stuff, shutting everything out.

"Whoever it is, they're confessing," she determined after a while, "Some guy — a leader of a clan, it says here — he had a son. No, two sons. He adopted one. Wait, he had a daughter too. Oh... oh." Faline glanced up, eyes glimmering with juicy gossip. "He had an affair."

"Oh snap," Mikey whispered, eyes wide like a child being handed candy, "Tell us more!"

Fae giggled, her own laughter earning a small chuckle from Leo as she continued. "He had a daughter with a... a sorceress, or a magician. Some woman educated in mystical arts."

Donatello snorted at that, the idea of mystical magic mumbo jumbo making him scoff.

"Anyway, this daughter... Ōkami," Fae mumbled, flipping through the pages hastily, "She fell in love with the adopted brother, who wasn't actually related to her, but she didn't know that, but it was still unlawful, and he was in love with... I can't make out the name. Something 'Shen', and the handwriting is too scribbly for me to make out."

The brothers tensed, and Leo's head whipped to look at her.

"Shen? Like Tang Shen?" he croaked.

"Erm...yeah, actually. Tang Shen, that's it!"

"Hang on a sec," Raph asked, "So... if Tang Shen was the woman the adopted brother fell for—"

"Then the adopted brother is Shredder!" Donnie continued, his face paling, "Which means the biological son was—"

"Master Splinter!" Mikey cried, holding his head in his hands, "So that means that if Splinter's dad canoodled with a fox witch dudette—"

"Do not refer to relations between a witch and our Hamato Yutan, one of the greatest masters of all-time, as 'canoodling'. Please, it gives me the creeps," Leo groaned, rubbing his temples.

"But if Yutan had an affair," Fae said quietly, "Then that would make Ōkami..."

"Sensei has a sister?" Mikey breathed.

 _"Faline Derrickson."_

 _"Who...who are you? How do you know my name? Where am I?"_

 _"Calm down, child. I've entered your dream realm in order to communicate."_

 _"Why are you glowing? How are you talking? Your lips aren't moving."_

 _"So many questions. I understand. In time they will all be answered. I am the one called Ōkami."_

 _"You?! You're the one who wrote the prophecy! You... you made me this way."_

 _"Are you accusing me of effecting your life negatively with my gift of your feline transformations?"_

 _"I... no. But this all very—"_

 _"Confusing, I know. For now I need you to listen. Find Vienna Bardi. She is the next addition to the team."_

 _"Vienna? She's gonna be the next one? The next Freeformer?"_

 _"Yes... and if Donatello was the one to find her, that would be optimal."_

 _"Donnie? Why would Donnie need to—"_

 _"He needs a friend."_

 _"...could she be more than a—"_

 _"You jump to conclusions too much."_

 _"Hey, I'm not the one who's written a prophecy."_

Faline jolted awake, her side stinging painfully. Leonardo started, setting down his book to grab hold of her arm and steady her. "Fae? What happened?"

She sat up uncomfortably, processing what had just happened. "Get the guys. We need to talk."


	29. Author's Note

**Hello, lovelies!**

 **Ooh, ended you on a cliffhanger, did I? Sorry, not sorry!**

 **I have two new books for you to look up.**

 **The Five Stages of Grief. The Turtles and Faline deal with the recent loss of their Sensei. Highly suggest reading it, it will explain why Splinter won't be in the rest of my books from here on out :(. Sorry, gotta keep the continuity here.**

 **Anywho, the new book is approaching! Find my next book, The Genius Set Me Free, to see what the fate of Faline and the Freeformers will be, and who this Vienna Bardi is?**

 **Read The Five Stages of Grief and The Genius Set Me Free, be kind to each other, and BOOYAKASHA!**

 **~Adelaide**


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